Lost Boys
by fluffykitty12
Summary: When Takumi Fujiwara and Kai Kogashiwa disappear under mysterious circumstances, their fathers form an unlikely alliance in the desperate search for their sons.
1. Intercepted

**This takes place right after Takumi defeats Ryosuke. However, I've taken a bit of creative liberty here and made it so Takumi also already has the upgraded 86, because it just works out better this way. Anyways, I welcome any feedback you have to give me! Also, Takumi is 18 and still in high school in this story.**

* * *

In the darkness that was Mount Akina, a solitary figure sat behind a guardrail, watching the dark three lane street with interest. Engines screamed in the distance, the tang of exhaust smoke mixing with the scent of burning rubber.

Hardly anyone had come down to watch the race here- most of the galleries wanted to watch at the sharp corners, where they'd see drifting action.

The lone spectator, however, had only one interest in mind- information.

He watched as the two cars roared around the corner, waiting for the intensity of the headlights to die down in order to see the white FC was in the lead. The man watched with detached interest as the 86 tried to overtake on the outside lane, before throwing himself into a drift. The FC's rear tire was slipping, allowing the 86 to gracefully slide ahead and steal the inside…. The 86 had won.

The lone spectator smiled, pulling a cell phone from his pocket and punching in a number. The call was picked up on the first ring.

"Matsuda?" the deep voice on the other side of the phone answered apprehensively.

"I've found him."

* * *

"Dude, you beat Ryosuke Takahashi! How can you now be on cloud nine right now!?" Itsuki asked his best friend the next day, shocked at Takumi's usual spacey demeanor.

Takumi shrugged. "Dunno. It was more fun than I was expecting… but I still feel like Ryosuke is a better racer than I am."

"But _you beat him!_ How can you say that, Tak!?" Itsuki demanded, jogging in place out of frustration, hands clenched into fists.

"Quit being so damn excitable, Itsuki." Takumi said simply, and the first bell rang, causing Takumi to shuffle off towards class.

Itsuki stared after his friend, sighing. "Sometimes I think you're crazy, Tak."

After school that day, as Takumi was walking home, an electric blue Mercedes pulled up beside him, the driver rolling his window down.

"Hey kid." Takumi paused for a moment, peering over to see the man was, in fact, talking to him. He shuffled over, figuring the man was lost and needed directions- after all, he hadn't seen that car around before.

He expected the man's next words to be a question as to how to reach the nearest shop or something. He was caught completely off guard when the man asked; "Are you Fujiwara Takumi?"

Takumi took a step back, looking slightly unnerved. How did the man know that? Takumi had never seen this guy in his life- the man wore a suit and looked to be in his forties, with graying hair and a muscular build, so how on earth did he know his name?

The man frowned, seeing Takumi's wariness. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. Let me put this a different way- are you the driver of Akina's 86?"

Takumi paused, pursing his lips. "Who's asking?" He asked, eyes narrowed. This man looked far too old to be a potential challenger- if anything, he looked more like a cop. And street racing _was_ technically illegal….

Takumi was getting a very weird feeling from the whole exchange, and he turned and started walking away without saying a word.

"Hey! Hey kid, wait! I just wanna talk to you…." The man tried again.

Takumi turned. He was going to tell the man to contact him at the petrol station, before, taking one more look at the man's appearance and getting yet another bad vibe about the whole situation, he turned and jogged away. Something about the whole situation wasn't right. If that man wanted to challenge him, he could look around Gunma just like everyone else and find him the normal way- at the gas station.

As soon as Takumi had turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the man in the Mercedes sighed, rolling up his window and pulling away from the curb. So, that was how it was going to be. Well, they'd just have to go with plan B, then.

* * *

Takumi fell asleep easily that night, thinking nothing of the strange man in the Mercedes. Rather, he fell asleep with rather early on his bed, still trying to catch up on sleep lost at the race two nights before.

At 4am, he was awoken by his father shaking his shoulder. "Takumi. Hey kid- it's time to get up."

"Mmmm…." Takumi rolled over sluggishly, fumbling to rub a hand over his eyes. By the time he'd gotten his legs swung over the side of the bed, Bunta was already back downstairs.

Takumi sighed, running a hand through his bedhead and slogging over to the bathroom, splashing some water on his face before he was heading downstairs, pulling on his trainers and grabbing the keys to the 86.

He climbed into the bucket seat happily enough, taking the cup of water Bunta handed him through the window and setting it in the cup holder as he did every day.

He shivered slightly, breath clouding in front of him. It was chilly this morning, and he nodded to his father, stifling a yawn.

"I'm off."

He was pulling out of the driveway easily, cranking up the heat slightly as he felt the familiar purr of the new engine beneath his feet. Once again, it was just him and the 86.

He climbed Mount Akina easily thanks to the extra horsepower from the new engine, making his turns deftly and drifting. Today was a good morning, he decided, and he grinned, pleased with himself when he found he could bring the bumper less than a centimeter away from the guard rail.

After he'd delivered the tofu, he started his downhill run as usual, throwing caution to the wind. He was nearly three quarters of the way down the hill, just clearing the final corner before the 5 hairpin turns, when he saw a red Nissan parked horizontally, blocking the road down.

He turned the wheel expertly as he hit his breaks, drifting and pulling to a stop about fifteen centimeters before he would've hit the Nissan.

Takumi frowned slightly, getting out of the 86 and heading over the car. Perhaps the driver had spun out, or needed help? He approached the heavily tinted windows, hesitating for a brief moment before knocking. "Hello? Are you alright in there?"

Two black Toyotas pulled up behind about ten feet behind the 86, one in each lane, blocking his escape.

Takumi frowned, backpedaling towards the 86 anxiously….

The car doors seemed to slam in unison as half a dozen men emerged from the cars- three from the Nissan and 3 from the Toyotas- two men hung back on either side of the 86 while the other two approached him.

They were dressed professionally- all in suits- and Takumi recognized one of the men approaching him as the man from the Mercedes he'd seen yesterday.

"I don't want any trouble." Takumi stated warily, hands up defensively. "Look, just move your car and I'll be on my way…."

Neither men responded to him, each one grabbing him by the arm.

"Hey!" Takumi squawked, voice rising an octave in a panic. The 18 year old pulled an arm free, reeling back and slugging one of the men with all the might he had- blood erupted from the man's nose, and Takumi turned, shoving away the remaining assailant and sprinting for the gap between the two Toyotas only to be stopped by a brick-wall of a man.

Takumi threw a punch which was dodged, and a right hook sent him to the ground, spitting blood.

Still, a moment later, Takumi had staggered to his feet, eyes flinty. " _Let… me… go!"_ he hissed at the man.

They'd started to close in on him, now, and Takumi threw himself at the first of his much larger opponents, attacking desperately. He managed to down one man completely, but all too soon they were on him, grabbing his arms and restraining him.

"Lemme go!" Takumi shouted around a mouthful of blood. They were dragging him towards the red Nissan, completely ignoring any of his shouts.

Takumi kicked out wildly, flailing as much as he could- all he managed to do was knock off one of his trainers. One of the suited men straightened his clothing, opening the door of the Nissan calmly. Someone forced a handkerchief over his mouth, and Takumi tried his best to turn away, nausea enveloping him as the sticky-sweet scent of it invaded his very being.

It was no good, though- he was growing weaker, and once he could no longer hold his breath, he inhaled, the lungful of whatever it as he'd just inhaled sending him careening into oblivion.

The last thing he heard was a car door slamming before his entire world went black.


	2. Kai

**I hope this doesn't jump around too much. Please review, and if you don;t understand anything, I'll be happy to answer your questions either in the next chapter or via PM. Thanks again! :)**

* * *

 _One Day Earlier- 10:21pm, Tochigi Prefecture_

The electric blue SW20 tore through the hairpins at breakneck speed, taking the jump from one corner to the next on the perilous lines only the locals knew.

 _Hah! Pretty soon, I'll be able to beat Kyoichi no problem._ The 19 year old thought to himself happily, grinning.

Still, as he neared the end of the mass of snake-like turns, headed towards the straight away, he froze as he saw the figure of a man lying in the road….

"Whoa!" Kai slammed on the breaks, turning the wheel as far as he dared and drifting to a stop a few feet away from the form in the road. Kai let out a sharp breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, hands maintaining a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel as sweat beaded on his brow.

"Damn, that was close." Kai frowned, staring out through the nightly fog at the still form. He frowned when the man lying in the road made no move to get up.

Kai frowned, throwing open the door of his SW and stepping onto the road, jogging over to the still form.

"Sir? Hey, Sir, can you hear me?" Kai crouched anxiously before the man lying in the road. He was wearing a business suit, and Kai reached out to shake the man before hesitating. Should he really touch the guy? You weren't supposed to move an injured person, but he'd need to, if he was going to get the man help….

Kai had been so caught up in his thoughts he didn't hear the person approaching behind him. Kai inhaled with a sharp gasp, coughing and choking as a cloth was shoved over his nose and into his mouth, invading his senses with a nauseating scent.

"Mmmpph!" Kai twisted- his head was spinning, and though he tried to lash out, he'd been caught by surprise, and all he could do was go limp as his body gave out on him, the sensation of rough pavement against his cheek the last thing he remembered before he succumbed to oblivion.

* * *

 _Present Day- 5:57am, Gunma Prefecture_

Bunta frowned, looking at the clock for what must've been the fifteenth time in ten minutes. Takumi should've been back an hour ago. Bunta sighed. "Damn kid." He muttered to himself, heading outside the shop for a smoke. He stood for what must've been fifteen minutes, listening to the quiet early morning air, straining his ears for the purr of the 86 as it came towards the shop. There was nothing.

Bunta sighed, exhaling a mouthful of smoke into the morning air. It was nearly six in the morning, and something in Bunta's gut told him that something was wrong. Sure, Takumi stayed out longer than usual to drive the pass sometimes, but he'd never stayed out this late before. Normally, Takumi was back as soon as possible to grab as much sleep as he could before school started….

Bunta sighed, heading to the garage behind the shop, throwing open the garage door. An old pickup truck greeted him rather morosely, and Bunta sighed, grabbing the keys off the workbench and opening the door, climbing into the driver's seat.

"It's been a long time." Bunta spoke to the pickup, lighting a cigarette and pulling out of the driveway, heading up towards the pass. "Damn kid better have a good reason for whatever the hell he's doing…."

Despite its age, the motor of the pickup still purred beneath the hood, and Bunta smiled despite himself as he made his way up the pass.

Still, what little enjoyment he got from riding the well-tuned pick up evaporated as he saw the 86 sitting abandoned in the middle of the road, door open.

Bunta pulled over, putting the pickup in park as he got out, striding over to the open door of the 86.

"Takumi?" Bunta placed a hand on the roof of the 86, ducking into the car to find it empty. The key was still in the ignition, the motor purring idly…. Something was wrong. Takumi would never leave the 86 running like this….

Bunta turned, surveying the road, his eyes landing on something. Bunta jogged over, crouching down and feeling his heart drop when he found one of Takumi's trainers lying in the road.

"Takumi?" his voice had grown quieter, now, and Bunta knelt down, examining the shoe critically. Something dark was spattered on the pavement- Bunta froze for a moment- was that… blood?

The older man froze for a moment, uncertain as to what to do. "Takumi…." His son's name left his lips, before he was turning, running back to the pickup truck and slamming the door, flooring it down the mountain, towards the nearest police station. Something had happened- he wasn't sure what, but his son was missing, and he'd do his damnest to find the kid.

 _Takumi- hang in there, kid. I don't know what happened- but I'm going to find you._

* * *

Kai came to what must've been hours, if not a day later, feeling hungry but nauseated. He was laying atop a bed, his neck stiff from the awkward position he'd been splayed in, and he sat up hesitantly. "D-Dad?"

Kai groaned, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and placing a hand to his spinning head, swallowing back a groan as his stomach protested the sudden movement.

He was sitting in a small, windowless room- there was another bed pressed against the wall opposite him, and the room was incredibly bare.

"Ugh… where am I?" he spoke quietly, struggling to orient himself.

The last thing he remembered was getting out of his car to help that stranger….

Kai's eyes widened. He'd been taken somewhere- this wasn't good. Still, he had to trust his father would find him. Kai took a deep breath, centering himself and slowly laying back down. The best thing for him to do was lay down and observe- things would fall into place later.

Hours later, the door to the room was unlocked, two suit-clad men carrying a limp form into the room, laying him on the bed.

Kai got to his feet, watching the whole situation with muted anxiety. "What's going on? Who the hell are you people?" Kai was unnerved by it all.

The suited men ignored him entirely, before they were turning and leaving the room in silence, the clicking of a key in the doorknob as the door was locked behind them.

Kai let out a shaky breath, fists clenched. _What the hell is going on here?_ He thought to himself, before noticing the figure lying on the bed across the room. Kai made his way over, seeing it was a kid who couldn't have been much older than him. The boy had chestnut bangs that fell over his forehead- the boy's face was coated in dried blood, his lips parted slightly and breath whistling though his stuffy nose as he laid still.

The kid was in a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans, and he was missing a shoe, revealed a rumpled crew sock.

"Hey- you awake?" Kai asked hesitantly, reaching for the boy's wrist. There was a strong pulse, even though the boy made no move to answer him. Kai sighed, removing his hand's from the boy's wrist. "They probably drugged him. Just like they drugged me." Kai muttered, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Kai tried to scrub at some of the blood on the boy's face, but without a wet rag, he soon became frustrated, and he leaned back on his heels, sighing and taking a deep breath to steady his nerves as he swallowed.

"What the hell do these guys want with us?" he asked no one in particular. He received no response- all he could do was sit in silence and hope the bloodied kid knew more than he did about the situation they were in.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	3. Yakuza

**Before we go into this chapter, there are a few things you need to know about the Yakuza in Japan.**

 **The Yakuza is the largest organized crime syndicate in Japan. They have 3 major branches- the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Sumiyoshi-kai, and the Inagawa-kai.**

 **Besides these 3 major groups, there are the boryokudan- small cells of yakuza members who operate under the command.**

 **The small cells can be found throughout Japan, and undertake other jobs. The gang members relate to one another under familial terms- the leader of the cell is known as the oyabun or kumicho, (family head), who relates orders to the kobun (children).**

 **There is more to the structure- the Kumicho controls saiko-komon (senior advisors) who each control their own turf.**

 **Now with those fun facts out of the way, on with the fic! :)**

* * *

He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump…._

He felt nauseas and achy, and he unconsciously shifted position, eyes screwed shut in discomfort as he attempted to do anything he possibly could to alleviate the discomfort. It did little to help him.

He whimpered slightly- it was as though he was in a feverish haze.

 _"…kid. Hey kid, c'mon, open your eyes…."_

Where was his father? Normally, when he was this ill, Bunta would sit with him so he wasn't alone when he woke up….

 _"Can you hear me?"_ the voice was muffled, and it definitely wasn't his father's. It was as though everything was underwater…. _"Open your eyes!"_

His eyes fluttered open to a dim room furnished in dull hues, with stale air.

As the world shifted into focus, he saw another teen staring at him. The boy had shortly cropped black hair and coffee brown eyes, and his worried face broke into a relieved smile as he looked down at Takumi.

"Glad you're finally awake. You had me worried there, man- you were out for a long time."

Takumi blinked sluggishly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. Where was he? How had he ended up here? Where was his Dad?

"W-wha happened?" he slurred, mind still slightly addled from the drug.

The other teen's face fell, and he hurried over to look Takumi in the eyes seriously. "You don't remember? Shit, this is bad…."

It all came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. The strange man from the day before, the 86 being surrounded, fighting for his life….

His eyes widened, and he involuntarily gasped.

The boy in front of him looked at him eagerly. "You remember now?"

Takumi nodded slightly, sitting up. "T-they ambushed me…." He fumbled to swing his legs over the side of the bed, finding the action requiring far more effort than it should've.

He looked up, blinking once more to clear his head. "T-they took me. Who are you?"

The other boy frowned. "Oh shit, yeah- I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Kogashiwa. Kogashiwa Kai."

Takumi only hesitated for a brief moment before he was reaching out to shake the other boy's hand. "Fujiwara Takumi." He said quietly.

Kai beamed, looking pleased to have made some progress so far.

"Nice to meet you, Fujiwara. Now, I don't know about you, but a lot has happened to me in the past day or so. So let's compare notes."

* * *

Bunta Fujiwara sat on a hard wooden chair in the Shibukawa Police station, trying to remain positive. A detective had already come over and questioned him endlessly about the events- from the last time he'd seen his soon, just before he'd headed out to deliver tofu, to finding the dried blood on the pavement and the abandoned 86.

Still, soon after they'd taken his deposition they'd left him with his own thoughts. It was growing increasingly harder to remain positive- he watched the officers look at him and whisper to one another. And when he saw a single, bloody trainer being carried into the room in an evidence bag by a somber faced officer, well, that did little to boost his spirits.

Lieutenant Tomo spoke to his superior, nodding, before he strode into the room. "Sir, your information had been very useful. All our manpower is currently scouring the forest surrounding the pass looking for your son, and his credentials have been entered in a missing person's database- if any police department in Japan picks him up, they'll find him."

Bunta refused to acknowledge that, looking up at the officer seriously. "Something happened out there. I don't know what, but…."

"Sir. Lamenting over it will do little to help us now." Lieutenant Tomo spoke firmly.

Bunta scowled at the man. "You honestly expect me to believe something bad didn't happen up there? Someone took my boy, and I need answers, damn it!"

Lieutenant Tomo met Bunta's eyes for a brief moment before looking away. "You're right. I suspect foul play was involved." The officer admitted, staring at the flor to Bunta's left. "And you deserve answers. Truthfully, Sir- Shibuwaka is a small station, we're hardy equipped to deal with a situation of this magnitude. We're securing the crime scene and gathering evidence, and I've put in a request to my superiors that more Gunma personnel be directed here to help us make some headway…."

Bunta nodded. "That's all I can ask of you. Thank you."

Tomo shook his head. "No thanks is necessary, Sir. It's our job. I'd suggest you go home and get some rest- we'll phone if there are new developments."

Bunta nodded, standing slowly, placing his hands in his pockets before shuffling out of the police station, back towards home. In that moment, he looked much older than his 43 years.

* * *

"They drugged you too?" Takumi asked, staring at Kai in near disbelief.

Kai nodded sadly, putting his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and looking at the floor. "I never saw it coming. The last thing I remember is the sensation of pavement…."

Takumi frowned, staring at the floor. "What do they want with us?" he asked quietly.

Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. "At this point, your guess is as good as mine…. My father will notice I'm missing and contact the police. We just have to be patient."

Takumi nodded. "My Dad will notice when I don't come home. Or, if he doesn't, he'll notice when I don't come home from school…."

Kai frowned. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Kai nodded. "Nineteen. I graduated high school last spring."

Takumi nodded, sitting back on the small bed. While he was unnerved by the whole situation, at least he had Kai to keep him company…. It was far better than being alone.

Kai began to say something when the door to the room swung open, and both suddenly fell silent, eyes flicking towards the door nervously.

"Kumicho will see you now." A lanky man with pale skin and dark hair spoke.

Takumi and Kai exchanged nervous glances.

"That means _follow."_ The teen in the doorway said, looking at them sternly.

They were led to a room where a dark-haired man in his 30s sat at a table. He smiled and nodded to them when they entered, motioning towards the chairs.

Both Kai and Takumi sat down, and the man smiled cordially.

"First, I apologize for my rather… rough retrieval… of you. However, I required your services rather immediately- my brothers have spent quite a long time finding you." The man spoke as he poured sake into a bowl, taking a sip.

"I am Matsuda Daichi of the Yakuza. However, you will address me as Kumicho. You will address me with respect, and obey me unconditionally."

The man slid the bowl of sake across the table to Kai, who looked down at it hesitantly.

"Have some." Matsuda encouraged him. Kai looked up at the man, eyes flinty with defiance.

The smile never left Matsuda's face as he drew his handgun from his waistband and placed it on the table in front of him, where the metal object promised to bring pain. "I insist."

Kai blinked for a moment, looking form the handgun to Matsuda, before he picked up the bowl with shaking hands and took a stuttering sip, some of the liquid dribbling down his chin.

Takumi watched the exchange with muted fear on his face, his eyes wide….

"You too, of course." Matsuda nodded to Takumi warmly.

Takumi carefully took the bowl in his hands and brought it to his lips, taking a swallow of the sake….

He broke into a coughing fit, and the alcohol burned as it slid down his throat. Takumi clumsily set the bowl on the table, eyes watering as he fought for control over his body….

Matsuda laughed. "Never drank before?"

"I-I'm underage." Takumi managed to rasp.

Matsuda grinned. "Ah, we don't follow such nonsense here." He said happily, reaching to remove his handgun from the table and slide it back into his waistband.

"Do as you're told, and you'll be rewarded. Step out of line, and you will be punished. That's all you need to know." Matsuda informed them cordially, moving to stand. "Younger brother-" Matsuda spoke, and the dark-haired sallow figure appeared in the doorway.

"Take our fledglings back to their room. By the way, my new ototos- the door of your room is unlocked. Feel free to come out whenever you like. We embrace you with open arms." Matsuda grinned, and a moment later the sallow man was leading them back to their room.

The door behind them closed, and both boys waiting in silence, listening until they'd heard the footsteps of their escort retreat.

"Well, this is just fucking great." Kai said, sitting on his bed heavily. "We've been initiated into the Yakuza."

"No we haven't. We didn't agree to anything." Takumi said, sounding distant.

"Yes, we did! We shared sake with him- it was a variant of the sake-sharing ceremony at Shinto weddings, the declaration of brotherhood-" Kai frowned, looking frustrated when he saw Takumi's blank look. "Don't you watch any gangster movies at all!?"

"No." Takumi said evenly, still looking unbothered. "Besides, he had a gun on the table- of course we cooperated. That can hardly be called agreeing to join…."

"Well what would you call it, Takumi!?" Kai nearly shouted, frustrated.

"False generosity." Takumi said calmly. "He was far too kind to us- he's trying to use, us, convince us to join them willingly, because it will make his job easier. He needs something from us- why else would he have kidnapped us like he has? We just refuse to cooperate and wait until the police find us…."

"How does one refuse to cooperate when there is a gun on the table?" Kai asked dryly.

Takumi shrugged. "Well, we do what we must to keep them from hurting us, but once we get the chance, we run. It's really pretty simple."

Kai sighed, looking upset. "This whole situation is horrifying…."

"Well bear it. You have to keep your morals close, Kai, or the police will think we're _with_ the Yakuza when they find us. We can't afford to join these guys, even if they hurt us." Takumi said wisely.

Kai sighed, frustrated and overwhelmed. "I don't think I want to talk anymore." He admitted, laying down on his med and rolling over to face the wall.

Takumi didn't answer, and they fell into melancholy silence.

* * *

Bunta tried to keep himself occupied with the tofu. He really did.

But as soon as the phone rang, at around ten in the morning, he ran over and snatched it from the hook, hoping it was a police officer calling to tell him they'd found his idiot son wandering in the woods, a little beat up, and wearing only one shoe.

"Hello?" he couldn't keep the anxiety from his voice.

"Bunta! I've just heard Takumi is missing!" Yuuichi's voice was loud enough it made Bunta pull the reciever from his ear.

"What on earth happened!?"

"If you want to know so bad, come in person and quit using our phone line! I'm expecting a call!" Bunta fairly shouted, slamming the phone back onto the hook in frustration.

"Damn him. Idiot wants to talk and use the phone when police could be calling…."

A few minutes later, a black Chevy pulled into the drive, and Yuuichi got out, running into the shop, looking out of breath.

"What's going on? Why can't I call you on the phone?" Yuuichi huffed, looking rather hurried.

Bunta sighed. "Because Takumi's missing and the police station is going to be calling with any news. I don't want them to try and call and get the busy signal because I'm explaining things to ugly mugs like you."

"Oh, well that makes sense." Yuuichi said, before his expression was breaking into one of concern yet again. "But what happened to Takumi?"

"I don't know. The kid was late on his way back from the tofu run. I went out to check on him- found the 86 running, door open, one of his shoes, blood on the pavement…." Bunta trailed off at the end, staring at nothing in particular and feeling worry settling in his chest….

He was brought back to reality by Yuuichi's hand on his shoulder. "Takumi is a strong kid. Sure, he's spacey, but the kid can throw a punch when he has to. I'm sure he'll be fine…."

"Then why haven't they found him yet?" Bunta couldn't help but ask no one in particular, and Yuuichi sighed.

"I don't know, Bunta- maybe he managed to escape whoever held him up. He's probably in the woods somewhere, waiting it out. He'll be alright, you'll see."

Bunta sighed, nodding. "You're right." He said simply, pulling out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"I really need a smoke."


	4. A Connection Discovered

**Alright- next chapter! I hope the pacing makes sense here- this chapter starts at the end of Takumi's first day of being missing, and ends in the early morning of Takumi's second day in captivity of the Yakuza (Kai's 3rd). Please review! :)**

* * *

That evening, well after the closing of the gas station, Yuuichi stopped by the tofu shop yet again to find his old friend leaning against the exterior of the shop, smoking a cigarette.

"They're all out looking for him, you know." Yuuichi said seriously. "Every one of the Akina Speed Stars- hell, even a few from the neighboring towns have come- they've skipped practice, they're searching every street for him…."

"Hmm." Bunta hummed around his cigarette, eyes darting around dully for a moment before he was looking down at his shoes. "Nice of them."

"Apparently Takumi has a lot more friends than we thought." Yuuichi added, before he was placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know things seem rough, but don't give up…."

"I haven't given up." Bunta mumbled around his cigarette, looking up at Yuuichi in surprise. "What kind of an idiot do you take me for? I just figured I'd wait up, in case the kid manages to find his way home."

Yuuichi sighed. "It's only been a few hours, Bunta. He's only been missing since this morning. He's fine- I'm sure of it. If the police don't find him in the woods, one of his friends is sure to find him wandering along a road somewhere…."

Bunta nodded half-heartedly in agreement, dropping his cigarette and putting it out with the sole of his shoe.

Yuuichi stood with his friend in the darkness for awhile longer, watching the road for a boy who never showed.

* * *

"Both of you- with me." The sallow looking saiko-komon stood in the doorway, rousing the two morose teens from their brooding.

They followed apprehensively behind the sallow figure- Takumi shuffling with his hands buried deep in his pockets, head down, and Kai in a stiff and anxious fashion.

They were led into a garage of sorts, where Kumicho Matsuda himself stood, smoking a cigarette.

He beamed at the teens. "I think you boys will like our little set up." He admitted.

Two cars sat in the garage, each shining new- a GTR and a Toyota Supra sat on the pavement, the coat of paint gleaming on each….

"Well?" Matsuda crossed his arms, as his sallow senior advisor- Saiko-komon, they were supposed to address him as- held out two sets of keys. "Are you boys going to be grateful?"

"I can only drive an 86." Takumi spoke up, concerned.

The keys to the Supra were shoved into his hands, however, and he was ushered over to the black Supra by Saiko-komon, who was grinning like a viper.

"You'll have to learn to drive a supra, then. Some things are more important than your comfort, so be grateful." Takumi was shoved roughly into the driver's seat, the door shut roughly behind him, before the sallow man climbed into the passenger seat, his pistol resting in his lap.

He gave Takumi a ghoulish smile, nodding towards the steering column. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Takumi turned the key in the ignition, already feeling his hands begin to sweat as he shifted into first, allowing the car to roll forward, down the rough gravel drive.

His passenger said nothing at first, and Takumi took to the rather hilly roads, soon losing some of the tension in his body as he focused on his true love- driving.

Slowly, the landscape grew more and more urban- the rare house multiplied into to, then to small villages, to multi-lane roads summiting in a large mass of city, lit by bright lights that were nearly blinding….

He wasn't used to driving in so much traffic, and he blinked stupidly as they were stopped in traffic at a red light, trying to gather his bearings….

"You try and run from this car, and I will shoot you." Saiko-komon said with a sadistic grin.

Takumi's eyes widened for a brief moment, before he nodded seriously. "Understood."

He accelerated up a rather steep hill.

"Turn here." Saiko-komon frowned when Takumi missed the turn.

"S-sorry." Takumi blustered, feeling the color drain from his face. "I-I'm not used to the traffic, I'll turn here, at the next street over…."

"See that you do." Saiko-komon spoke icily, his sallow skin turning a sinister shade of yellow as he fingered the pistol in his lap thoughtfully.

Takumi managed to turn onto the side street successfully, and obeyed his leader's orders to the letter for the next several minutes, taking every turn he was instructed to, until he found himself at the base of a rather poorly lit mountain.

Takumi sighed, relieved- it was much les stressful to drive a mountain pass than it had been crawling through the city, with cars so close on either side of him and no room to maneuver.

"Get us through this pass as fast as you possibly can." Saiko-komon instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"R-right." Takumi's gaze lingered on the gun resting in the man's lap, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself, before he tuned everything out- the fear and hunger gnawing in his gut, the unfamiliar feel of the Supra's pedals beneath his feet- it was all just one big distraction, really, and he drown it all out with the roaring of the engine.

Within the first three corners, Takumi had gotten a feel for the car's handling, and he took the rest of the pass at what would've been a suicidal speed.

He sighed contentedly as he left the pass, and Saiko-komon nodded to him, satisfied. "Take the next left."

Takumi nodded, biting his lip and following the senior advisor's instructions to the letter, pujlling back into the garage of the remote home.

He saw Kai hadn't returned yet and frowned- he hoped the other boy was alright.

"Go- get out of my sight. Stop in the kitchen and grab some dinner- can't have your dumbass collapsing." Saiko-komon spoke up, looking at the teen with contempt.

Takumi nodded, eagerly taking his leave and walking hurriedly into the home.

He was like a shadow in the hallways, searching the rooms nervously until he found the kitchen. He was starving- he hadn't eaten all day- but fear gnawed at the pit of his stomach more than anything. He didn't want to stay in the kitchen and cook for fear of running into other gang members- he grabbed an apple, two rolls, and a hunk of cheese, before he was darting back into the hallway, struggling to recall the layout of the place.

He jogged up the stiars, relieved to find his room. He shut the door behind him, climbing on his bed and waiting nibbling on his roll nervously, watching the door.

 _He could've shot me._ Takumi realized, and he pulled the roll away from his mouth, the current bite he was chewing suddenly feeling like sand as his body refused to swallow.

He took a breath, managing to calm his frayed enrves and swallowing, taking another bite of bread. _Just… don't think about it. Don't let fear paralyze you. Besides, you need to eat- you'll need your strength for when the police locate you… or if I can find the chance to run._

About a half hour later, Kai entered the room, looking rather pale.

Takumi looked at his friend apprehensively, and Kai sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "They made me drive through a mountain. Mount Utatsu, the signs said… we're close to the city of Kananzawa."

Takumi nodded seriously. "We're in the Ishikawa Prefecture." He admitted. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that he was two whole prefectures away from Gunma. He'd never been that far from home before- not even on school trips. It made him feel incredibly homesick- and the fact that he was powerless to do anything to leave wasn't helping him cope any.

"Kumicho had a gun in his lap the entire time." Kai admitted, letting out a sigh.

Takumi nodded, and for a moment, they sat in morose silence.

"What do you think they want with us?" Kai asked, looking uncertain.

Takumi shrugged. "Maybe… maybe they're just looking for street racers? Perhaps they want us to beat their rivals in a street race?"

Kai scoffed. "Yeah, because that totally makes sense. The Yakuza kidnaps us so we can win a street race for them."

"It was just a suggestion." Takumi muttered.

Kai sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Sorry. I'm just tired and hungry. I haven't had anything to eat all day."

"Oh yeah. I saved you this." Takumi handed Kai a roll, and Kai's eyes widened. "Thank you." He tore into the bread, and Takumi nodded.

"Saiko-komon told me to go and grab something to eat, so I know where the kitchen is…." Takumi admitted. "They said the door to our room is unlocked earlier, but I'm hesitant to go outside. I don't want to meet any other gang members."

Kai nodded between bites of his roll. "True- but we'll have to eat."

Takumi nodded solemnly- truthfully, he was incredibly tired.

Kai finished his roll, wiping his mouth on his sleeves. "I have a sinking feeling that they'll make us do something illegal." Kai spoke seriously. "I mean, street racing is illegal- but I have a feeling whatever they need us for, it's something decidedly more dangerous."

Takumi nodded. It seemed as though the air in their room had gotten a lot heavier.

"My father's noticed I'm gone, of course- the police will be looking for us everywhere. It's only a matter of time before they find us." Kai stated, trying to sound sure.

"Hmm." Takumi nodded, rolling over onto his bed. It was getting late, and he'd do well to get some sleep.

* * *

The door swung open in the wee hours of the morning, a loud voice rousing both boys.

"Both of you- get your asses up." Saiko-komon's rough voice spoke. Kai moaned and rolled voer, and Takumi blinked blearily, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. It felt like the wee hours of the morning- about time for when he usually did the tofu delivery.

"Get down to the garage. _Don't_ keep Kumicho waiting." Saiko-komon barked, before he'd stalked out of the room.

Takumi stood, stretching, before he was grabbing Kai. "Kai- hey, c'mon, get up!"

"Don' wanna…."

"Do you want to get shot!?" Takumi snapped, yanking Kai out of bed. " C'mon- I'm not getting in trouble because of you." He dragged a bleary Kai downstairs and into the garage, and the two made it into the garage at a decent hour.

Saiko-komon stood, arms crossed, looking at the sleepy teens with distaste. Kumicho grinned at them, his spiky hair and denim jacket looking sharp in the dull light. A few other curious gangsters were gathered around the garage, eying the two teens with contempt and speaking to one another in hushed tones.

Kumicho nodded to Takumi. "I've heard you possess great skill."

Takumi looked over at Saiko-komon hesitantly. Had the surly senior advisor really told his leader that?

Kumicho nodded to Takumi, climbing into the co-pilot's seat of the Supra. "Let's see if he was correct."

Takumi nodded quietly, situating himself into the driver's seat and pulling out of the large garage.

Dawn hadn't broken yet, and Takumi took the rough hills with ease, watching as the landscape became more urban. The city of Kanazawa was sleepy, the roads nearly deserted, the low burn of street lights illuminating the way.

As they climbed the steep hills, Takumi failed to even notice his passenger, reaching the peak of the mountains and gunning the engine, running the corners at breakneck speed. Any sidewalk pedestrians would've run from the roaring engine, but the tail of the supra drifted an inch from the curve, clearing turn after turn until they were back on rural roads, heading towards what Takumi hoped was the house.

Kumicho grinned. "You drive as though you want to die." He spoke finally, grinning. "But you have the skills to outrun anyone. You're exactly what we need."

Takumi nodded, looking over at the man hesitantly. "Can we head back to the house, Kumicho?" he spoke quietly keeping his eyes down.

Kumicho nodded, and Takumi turned the car down another nearly deserted road, pulling back into the garage.

"So- you're as good as my boys said you were." Kumicho said, grinning. "Head upstairs and get some rest. Tonight- prepare for a race."

* * *

Bunta tried to focus on the tofu. The sound of running water seemed to mesmerize him as he rinsed out the tofu machines.

He'd have to go on the deliveries soon, but he was putting it off, hoping against hope there would be a call….

The house was so quiet…. The air seemed a lot colder….

The ringing of the phone shattered the silence, and bunta fairly tore the receiver off the hook, putting it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Is this Fujiwara-san?"

"Yes."

"We'd appreciate it if you'd come down to the station?"

"Takumi?"

"No, I'm afraid we haven't found your son, Fujiwara-san…."

Bunta's heart dropped.

"But we believe we've connected his disappearance to the case of another missing boy in Tochigi prefecture…." Bunta had already dropped the phone- it hung uselessly from its cord as Bunta grabbed the keys to the 86.

"Hello? Fujiwara-san?" the voice crackled over the phone as the door of the shop slammed, and the sound of a motor starting was the only sound as Bunta tore into the street.

Five minutes later, he was stepping out of the car and jogging into the police station. The secretary looked up, surprised by Bunta's abrupt entrance- Lieutenant Tomo stepped into the room a moment later, nodding to Bunta.

"Glad to see you, Fujiwara-san. If you'd follow me…."

Bunta fell into step beside the lieutenant, feeling anxious.

"We've linked your son's disappearance to a similar situation in the Tochigi prefecture- two days ago, a boy roughly the same age as Takumi disappeared from the Tochigi prefecture. The disappearance of Kai Kogashiwa is remarkable similar-"

Bunta had stopped walking.

"Fujiwara-san?"

"Did you just say Kogashiwa?"

Tomo nodded. "Yes. We've called the boy's father here to discuss the similarities of the cases- are you familiar with him at all?" the Lieutenant suddenly looked interested, pulling a notepad and pen from his pocket.

Bunta nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I know him…." Bunta hurried down the hallway into a conference room to find himself staring at his old rival.

"Ken. Long time no see." Bunta said morosely.

Kogashiwa was older- he wore square-rimmed glasses, and the man looked absolutely exhausted, though he stood when Bunta entered the room.

"Bunta. It's good to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were different…."

"As do I."

"Can I ask how you two are familiar? Any connections between you two are important." Lieutenant Tomo looked interested.

Bunta nodded, looking over at Ken. His older rival nodded- both men came to a silent agreement to disclose everything. While street racing was illegal, laws regarding it weren't really enforced- and even if there were consequences, Bunta would gladly face them if it meant finding Takumi sooner.

"We raced one another on the mountain passes, back in the day." Bunta said calmly.

Ken nodded.

"I take it you were on the street racing scene?"

Bunta nodded, and Tomo scribbled something on his notepad.

"And your sons- were they involved in street racing, as well?"

"Yes." Bunta said without hesitation. "Takumi's skills were still developing, but he's won several battles."

Kogashiwa looked surprised, before he nodded. "Kai has been in a battle or two, but he'd just started. He mostly drove go karts and motor cycles, until he got his license- but he drove Irohazaka every day on his way to school."

"And Takumi? Does your son have sufficient driving skills?" Tomo asked.

Bunta nodded. "Kid's sufficient- but he could be a lot better."

"Do either of you have any enemies?" Tomo asked.

Ken frowned, and Bunta shook his head. "No. Old rivals, yes, but none of them would do this-"

If one of his old rivals had taken his son, they'd need divine intervention, as Bunta was going wring their neck when they were caught….

Lieutenant Tomo frowned. "Odd. Do your boys know each other?"

"No. Takumi's never met Ken or Kai, to my knowledge." Bunta spoke up, and Ken nodded.

"Kai mentioned something about hearing of a new 86 driver on Akina, but I doubt he knows Takumi by name."

Luietenant Tomo nodded, getting to his feet. "Thank you for both your information. I have to make some calls-" Tomo nodded to both men. "Thank you for coming, Kogashiwa-san. You can both return home, we'll call you if we discover anything…."

The Luietenant ducked out of the room, and Ken and Bunta stared at one another for a moment, taking in their old rivals.

"I'm sorry about your boy, Ken." Bunta said finally.

Ken nodded sadly. "I could say the same to you."

"How'd it happen?"

"I got a call he didn't show up to class that day- I assumed he was skipping, I went down the hill to look for him- found his car still running, door open- he was just… gone. You?"

"I sent him on the morning Tofu delivery like I always do. He was late coming back, I assumed he was driving the pass, working on his technique. I finally went up to look for him- found the 86 running, door open, one of his shoes lying in the road, some blood on the pavement…."

Bunta looked away, falling silent.

Ken had closed his eyes, and his hand had clenched into a fist. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, being sorry isn't going to bring either of them home." Bunta said, looking back over at his old rival. "I can't see what anyone would want with Takumi- kid's an okay driver, but he's spacey as hell, his grades are nothing special- he's a simple kid."

Ken sighed. "I don't get why anyone would take Kai, either. He's just a kid…. I'm waiting for a ransom, personally. I'll pay any price to get the kid back safe. But it's been two days, and no word…. Let's hope they're together, at least. Someone easygoing like your son might help Kai keep a cool head, wherever they are…."

Bunta nodded thoughtfully. It was a bit heartening to think the boys were together- they'd look out for one another while their fathers couldn't.

"You wanna come over to my place? You look like you haven't slept in days- you could probably use a mean. Plus you'd be nearby, in case they called with anything…."

"Thank you- it's a generous offer, but I have to get home. My wife is hysterical about Kai, and my daughter's been very quiet- she's scared, and she misses her older brother. I may take you up on that offer if I have to come down here again..." Ken spoke up, standing.

Bunta nodded. "Someone's taken our boys, Ken. When they find out who, I expect your help kicking their asses."

The ghost of a smile appeared on Ken's face as he headed for the door. "You can count on it."

* * *

 **Any feedback is appreciated! :)**


	5. First Gig- Getaway Driver

CHAPTER 5

"Yeah, Saiko-komon told me to prepare for a race this evening, as well." Kai admitted as the boys regrouped back in their room.

"Do you think he's going to have us race eachother, or someone else?" Takumi asked, peering over at the older teen curiously.

"Why would they have us street-race?" Kai asked no one in particular, sounding frustrated. "It doesn't make any sense! There's no revenue generated from street racing, unless they wager money, but even then- why the hell go to all the trouble of kidnapping us!?" Kai sounded frustrated. "None of this is making any sense."

Takumi was silent, still looking to Kai for guidance.

Kai was on his feet, now pacing the small room agitated. "More importantly- where the hell are the police? Why isn't anyone trying to find us? Are they even trying!?" He ran a hand through his black hair, frustrated.

"They'll find us." Takumi said quietly.

"Yeah, well, they're sure taking their sweet time to do it." Kai mumbled.

"I don't want to race for these guys either- but I don't see what choice we have." Takumi admitted.

Kai sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I need to think rationally about this…."

"I want food." Takumi spoke aloud, and Kai looked up, blinking in surprise. "I'm starving too. You know where the kitchen is…."

"But the place is crawling with gangsters."

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright. You know where the kitchen is, I'll go with you to grab something and keep an eye out for others."

Takumi nodded, creeping timidly down the hallway with Kai beside him, both keeping a keen eye out for other yakuza.

As they entered the rather dirty kitchen, Takumi froze for a brief moment, coming face to face with three unfamiliar yakuza.

The three men looked to be in their mid-twenties- one wore a red dew rag and smoked a cigarette, while the others were leaning against the counter with several beer cans scattered around them.

"Huh. Look at that- the brats finally ventured out of their room." Dewrag spoke around his cigarette, chuckling along with his friends.

"What- no greeting? Kumicho wants you boys to leave your room more often, you know. Get to know your fellow family members. Show a little respect, boys."

Kai hurriedly bowed, Takumi hastily following- it was humiliating to have to bow to gangsters, but pride meant nothing compared to survival.

The three burst into laughter. "Man, you three really are thick. Nice show, boys- but you'll address us- and all your superiors besides Kumicho and Saiko-komon as aniki. Now go ahead and grab your snacks." The man smirked at them.

Takumi tossed Kai a roll, grabbing himself a bowl of rice. Both teens were starving, but at the same time, they could grab something later when the kitchen was empty.

One of the gangsters cleared their throats as Kai crept towards the doorway, and Takumi grabbed Kai's wrist, turning around and bowing hurriedly. "Goodbye, aniki." He spoke quietly before he was hurriedly retreating, Kai on his heels. As they retreated, they heard raucous laughter behind them.

As soon as the door to their room was closed, Kai sighed. "Well, that was an experience."

Takumi nodded, before he was sitting down, digging into his bowl of plain rice.

Kai dug into his roll, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm too awake now to sleep." He admitted. They settled into an apprehensive silence, each slightly afraid of what was to come.

* * *

Saiko-komon opened the door to their room that evening. "With me." Was all he growled, before he was stalking out of the room.

Both boys trotted after their captor, exchanging nervous glances.

They were escorted into the garage- the air was decidedly more tense. Several gangsters were huddled around the room, leaning on the walls and speaking quietly amongst themselves, eying the two teens critically.

Takumi blinked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trying not to fidget nervously. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He was feeling like a piece of meat instead of a person, and Saiko-komon shoved him forward, to where Kumicho was standing seriously, Kai tripping as  
he was pushed to stand beside him.

Kumicho smiled at them, placing a hand on Takumi's shoulder, leaning close to speak quietly in Takumi's ear. "you've been given the tougher route- your driving is superior. Perform well and you'll be rewarded."

Takumi's heart leapt in his chest, his lips parting slightly- did Kumicho mean he'd be given his freedom if he won?

Two gang members materialized from the shadows. The man with the red dew rag gave Takumi a yellowed smile, nodding to him, before the keys were handed to him and he was starting up the supra, nodding as red dew rag got into the passenger seat.

Takumi pulled out of the driveway, slightly nervous. He flicked on his headlights, smoothly accelerating and whipping onto the rural, hilly road towards the city.

"So- is this your first race?" dew rag asked, loading his pistol as he spoke.

Takumi swallowed, focusing on the road instead of the hand gun. He was less nervous, and, unnervingly enough, was becoming used to being in the presence of guns. He could see the twinkling of the city lights in the distance.

"No, aniki. I've won some battles before."

"Have you, now. Kumicho says you're quite good- which will be useful tonight. Head straight into the city…."

Takumi nodded obediently, continuing on through the darkness. It was nearly 9:30pm and dark.

Had he really been gone for 2 days already?

He continued on straight- he was in the outskirts of the city, now, the road was lined on either  
side by dim houses, the road illuminated by street lights.

"You'll need to be fast tonight." Dew rag confided in him. "And you'll need to be able to perform well under pressure."

Takumi nodded. "I understand, aniki."

"I thought you would. Turn right here."

Takumi obeyed, following the rest of the instructions calmly.

Finally, after they were in the center of the city, dew rag spoke. "Park along the curb here."

The uneasy feeling Takumi had had since entering the garage blossomed into nausea as he realized they were parked in front of a bank.

"Pop the trunk." Dew rag ordered.

Takumi reached over with shaking hands before obeying.

Dew rag had pulled a black mask from the glove box, and he nodded to Takumi. "the race is about to start." He confided in him.

"Look across the street."

Takumi did as he was told. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

Dew rag pointed. "That window on the second story- a brother is up there with a rifle. If you try to flee before I've gotten back to the car, he will shoot you. Do you understand me?"

Takumi swallowed heavily. "Yes, aniki."

"Good." The man's smile flashed his cigarette yellowed teeth, before he was pulling on the ski mask, nodding.

"Stay ready- leave the car running. The race is about to begin." With that said, the man threw open the door to the Supra, turning and running into the bank.

Takumi sat, the supra's powerful engine idling. He could feel himself break out in a cold sweat, his knuckles were turning white as he clung to the steering wheel. _I should try to drive away. But the yakuza next door- he'll shoot me where I sit..._

Against all of his instincts, he sat still, waiting two minutes, three….

Dew rag charged out, trash bag in hand. He threw open the trunk, throwing the bag inside, slamming the trunk shut, and jumping into the passenger seat.

"Drive!" he shouted, and before the man even had his door fully shut, the wheels were spinning as Takumi pulled onto the nearly deserted road, charging into the night.

The ringing of an alarm pierced the night behind them.

"Where do I go!?" Takumi shouted, close to frantic.

"Get out of the goddamn city!" dew rag shouted back. "Remember the route we drove yesterday!"

A police car tore through an intersection after them- Takumi took the next corner at a breakneck speed, drifting slightly before accelerating quickly. A police car bearing sirens and lights drove past them, before performing a rough u-turn and taking the place of the police cruiser Takumi had just lost.

The blaring of a siren filled his mind, and Takumi grit his teeth, forcing himself to ignore it as he took the next four corners at impossible speed. This police cruiser was doing a better job of keeping up than the first one- it was more persistent.

A second cruiser pulled out from within an alley, joining the chase, and at the last second, Takumi wrenched the wheel to the left, jumping the curb onto a deserted sidewalk but completing the sharp turn, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

One of the police cruisers collided with a fire hydrant, and water exploded, but the other remained persistent….

 _This is insane._ Takumi thought to himself, over the screaming of the siren and the roar of the engines. _Someone could get killed._

Takumi let up on the gas for a brief second, only pausing when he heard a gun cocking and looked over to see dew-rag had pointed his pistol at Takumi's temple. "Keep going!" he shouted over the engine's rumbling.

"Aniki- please!"

"Drive, or I will fucking shoot you!"

Takumi slammed on the gas, cutting down a small side street into the slums before cornering at an insane speed- the police cruiser messily spun out behind them, and Takumi gunned the engine, heading towards the rural road outside the city.

The roar of the supra's engine was the only thing that kept Takumi grounded as he tore down the rural, hilly road, back towards their secluded house.

Takumi was breathing heavily, and dew rag nodded to him. "Not bad, kid. You nearly lost your nerve."

Takumi was struggling to keep the car going straight- the loss of the adrenaline left him feeling exhausted and drained, and he looked over at his companion tiredly. "Y-you said I was supposed to race…." He spoke softly. His head was beginning to throb.

Dew rag threw his head back and laughed. "We were racing! Except instead of a petty street battle, we were racing for our lives. Much more invigorating, isn't it?" The man asked, grinning like the Cheshire cat as he fumbled for a cigarette.

"N-no…." Takumi managed, blinking furiously. _That was terrifying. Somebody could've died…. This guy is insane!_

Dew rag laughed. "Whatever you say, kid. But deep down- you know you enjoyed it."

As soon as they pulled into the garage, Takumi threw open the door to the Supra and stumbled out, leaning against the wall and retching. Saliva pooled in his mouth, bile burning his throat, but nothing came up.

He continued to dry heave for another minute or so, shaking badly.

Kai pulled him upright a moment later, allowing the younger boy to lean against him until he regained his balance. He could feel the younger boy trembling. "Takumi- you with me?"

Takumi nodded- he looked absolutely terrible, but he was alright. It was just a reaction to his own fear, he supposed, his own repulsion at what he'd just done….

Kumicho grinned. "I have to say, boys, I'm impressed." He handed each boy a stage of bills, nodding to them. "Don't spend it all in one place, kiddos."

The rest of the gang members who'd gathered around to look at the haul burst into raucous laughter, and Kai looked down at the money in disgust, leaving both his and Takumi's piles on the hood of the Supra and slinging Takumi's arm over his shoulder.

"C'mon Tak- let's get you upstairs."

Takumi nodded slowly, falling into his bed and squeezing his eyes shut as soon as he was laying still.

Her heard the door open a moment later, and Kai entered the room with a cup on water.

"Takumi- c'mon, drink. You look horrible."

Takumi sat up and sipped hesitantly at the water, finding it did help ground him a bit more. "What happened, Takumi?"

"They made me drive while they robbed a bank." Takumi said quietly, looking at the floor, ashamed.

Kai sighed. "They did the same to me. But you look very shaken- did something else happen?"

"Three police cruisers chased me. I lost the first one- the second one hit a fire hydrant, and the last one spun out. We were going to fast, it was reckless- if there had been any civilian cars or pedestrians…. All I kept thinking was that we were going to kill someone. I tried to pull over, but aniki put a gun to my head and made me keep driving…."

Kai let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't see any police. It sounds like you had the worst run…."

"K-Kai… I can't do this again." Takumi admitted, looking at the older boy anxiously. "W-what if these guys kill somebody during a robbery? What if a police car crashes and the officer dies while chasing us? I wouldn't be able to live with myself..."

"I know, Takumi. I know." Kai rested his head in his hands for a moment, letting out an anxious breath. "Just… get some sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."

Takumi just laid there, looking miserable. Still, there was nothing Kai could do at the moment, and the teen made his way over to his own bed, falling into it heavily. Soon, both teens had fallen into a restless sleep, uncertain as to what new nightmare tomorrow would bring.


	6. News Spreads Fast

The door to Ryosuke Takashi's room slammed open, hitting the wall behind it with a loud bang.

Ryosuke looked up, startled, when he saw Keisuke standing in the doorway, looking frustrated.

"Aniki, did you know about this!?" He demanded.

Ryosuke swiveled his chair over to he was facing his brother, fingers steepled, frowning. "Know about what?"

Keisuke handed his broker a winkled paper, looking incredibly frustrated.

Ryosuke's eyes widened as he read what it was- it was a missing posted for two teenagers- Fujiwara Takumi and Kogashiwa Kai.

"No. I knew nothing about this…. What happened?"

"I went to drive Akina this morning, just for fun- the speed stars had the whole place canvased. They weren't racing, it was strange, and I pulled over to talk to someone- They were looking for him. Fujiwara has been missing for two days."

"This is odd. Fujiwara is a pretty straight-laced kid, he wouldn't do anything stupid like run off…." Ryosuke said, frowning.

"He didn't run off. From what his friends said, he didn't come back from a tofu delivery- his father found his 86 running, the door open, and some blood on the pavement. Fujiwara was nowhere to be found."

Ryosuke was already standing, pulling on his coat and grabbing the keys to his white FD.

"Aniki- where are you going?"

"I have some calls to make. If you want to be useful, grab a notebook and come along."

Keisuke nodded, hurriedly grabbing a notebook and some pens from the mug off the desk, looking back for a brief moment before grabbing the missing poster, just in case, and darting out the door after his brother.

* * *

"Was Fujiwara behaving normally this week? Did he act any different when you two were in school, nervous, jumpy- did he say anything about being in trouble?"

The gas station employee shook his head, looking baffled. "No. Tak acted just like he always did- he'd have told me if he was in any trouble. I mean, we're best friends…."

Ryosuke nodded. "Right. So Takumi hadn't been talking to anyone new, and he hadn't been in any sort of trouble?"

"None. He was just… gone. We've looked everywhere for him- all the guys have, really- we've driven every street a hundred times." Itsuki frowned, his lower lip trembling slightly. "This weekend, we're all going to search the woods. We'd welcome your help, if you'd like to come…. Every person makes a difference."

Keisuke focused on his shoes- it was hard talking to a kid who was obviously pretty broken up about his missing best friend.

"We just might do that. I know it was hard, but thank you for talking to us…."

"Itsuki. My name is Itsuki. Thanks for stopping by… if you find anything new out… tell the Speed Stars, will you?"

Ryosuke nodded. "I'll be sure to do that." He said calmly, before he was pulling out of the petrol station, onto the road.

"It doesn't sound like he was in trouble." Keisuke speculated, before he was sighing, frustrated. "Who just kidnaps a random high schooler? And Fujiwara, of all people? I mean, he's a pretty typical kid… why take him?"

"There's more to this than meets the eye, Keisuke. Have you considered the other boy listed as missing on that poster?"

Keisuke frowned, picking up the missing poster from the console and frowning. "No. He looks just like another teenager…."

"Kogashiwa Kai. I've heard the last name before, if I'm not mistaken… I think the kid raced on Irohazaka. Two teenage street racers go missing within a day of one another- think it over, Keisuke. Tell me what you come up with." Ryosuke said calmly, parking alongside the curb.

Keisuke looked up, surprised, as he saw the sign. _Fujiwara Tofu Shop._

"We're going to his house?"

Ryosuke nodded. "We need to talk to his father."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, we don't know the kid very well…."

"I'll do the talking, if you're so uncomfortable. But if you want to help me, you'll come in and take notes."

Keisuke nodded warily, grabbing a notebook and darting out of the FD after his brother, trotting across the street into the shop.

It took a brief moment for a man to step into view- he was sporting 5-o'-clock shadow, and looked to be at a sore loss for sleep. "What can I get you?"

"Tofu Dengaku, please." Ryosuke said calmly.

The man nodded mechanically, feet dragging on the floor as he made his way over to the case, starting to put together the order.

Ryosuke cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about your son, Fujiwara-san."

Bunta's head snapped up, and he looked at both youths skeptically. "You know Takumi?" he spoke softly.

Keisuke nodded, looking at the floor, hands in his pockets, and Ryosuke spoke. "Yes. Both my brother and I lost to him in battles on Akina- we were watching his career with interest. He has a lot of skill for someone so young."

Bunta nodded thoughtfully, before he was going back to putting together the order.

"Do you know anything about his disappearance, Fujiwara-san?"

Bunta looked up at the brothers, annoyed. "If I did, I'd be out looking for him, not running the shop." He said tersely.

Ryosuke nodded. "I suppose you would. I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. My brother and I were just wondering if he was involved with anyone… questionable. Was he acting any differently before he disappeared?"

"No. Takumi's a simple kid- what you see is what you get. He's friends with the boys down at the gas station- he stays away from the gangsters. He's not interested in that type of thing."

Ryosuke nodded, looking troubled by the news. If Takumi wasn;t involved with dangerous people, then he might've been kidnapped by total strangers….

"Right. And does Takumi know Kogashiwa Kai?"

Bunta shook his head. "I doubt it. I hadn't talked to Kai's father in years before both our boys went missing, and Takumi never mentioned anything about him…." Bunta frowned. "Why all the questions? This doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Fujiwara-san, when two street racers disappear without a trace, we _make_ it our business." Keisuke spoke up, dark eyes serious, hands still tucked in his pockets.

Bunta saw the sincerity in the boy's face and nodded, handing the bag with the order in it to Ryosuke. "That'll be 500yen."

Ryosuke placed a 500yen coin on the counter, nodding to him.

"We'll be in touch, Fujiwara-san." Was all eh said, before he and Keisuke was leaving the shop quietly.

Bunta stared after the two- he'd assume they were just overconfident kids, but something in the way the older of the boys spoke told him otherwise. Whoever those two were, his son had made an impression on them- they might be key in finding his son.

"Good luck, kids."

* * *

As soon as they 'd returned to the Takahashi household, Keisuke turned, grabbing the keys to his FD.

"Keisuke- where are you going?" Rysouke asked warily. It was growing late.

"I have some calls to make, Aniki." Keisuke said seriously, trying to step around his brother towards the door.

He was stopped by Ryosuke's hand on his shoulder. "Keisuke Now's not the time to fall back into old habits." His brother cautioned, dark eyes worried. He knew of Keisuke's past as a gangster- the nights his brother wouldn't return until dawn, battered and bleeding from pointless fights and turf wars….

"I know. But we've reached a dead end. My old friends just might know something about what happened to Fujiwara and Kogashiwa…."

Ryosuke knew his brother was right. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Keisuke. Be careful." Was all he said, removing his hand from Keisuke's shoulder.

Keisuke nodded. "I always am, Aniki." He assured his brother, before he was ducking back into the drive way and jumping into his FD, heading off into the night.


	7. Another Skill

The morning of Takumi's third day with the Yakuza was largely uneventful.

He and Kai had been given time to recuperate from their driving on the first night, and they'd spent most of yesterday sleeping or staring at the ceiling, sometimes chatting but mostly bored out of their minds.

Takumi found himself laying on his bed, alternating between staring up at the ceiling and nibbling on a piece of cheese he'd managed to snag from the kitchen.

"So Tak- where did you race?" Kai spoke up from where he was sprawled on his own bed, picking at a thread in the bedsheets idly.

"Hmm?" Takumi looked up, surprised. He and Kai hadn't spoke about driving since they'd been forced to be get-away drivers two days ago.

"You're obviously a streetracer. Maybe you're even as good as me." Kai said simply, looking over at Takumi calmly.

"Oh. Akina. I drive on Akina." Takumi admitted. "I'm from Gunma."

"I drive Irohazaka, mostly. I'm from Tochigi." Kai admitted.

Takumi nodded, trying to take note of the information- since they were still being held captive, it appeared he'd be spending a lot of quality time with Kai, hiding in their room. It;d be best to at least get to know his roomate.

"So- how long have you been racing?" Kai asked, eyes lighting up with a spark of curiosity. He was starting to wonder if the boy across the room was worthy competition….

The door of the room swung open, and Saiko-komon stood in the doorway, a skinny, sinister figure. "Come." Was all he growled, before he was striding into the hallway, not waiting to see if the boys followed.

Kai and Takumi exchanged hesitant glances before they were hurrying to their feet, not wanting to be punished for disobedience.

Takumi jogged to catch up with Saiko-komon, falling into step behind the man, and Kai trotted alongside him.

"Any idea what this is about?" Kai whispered.

Takumi shook his head rapidly, tongue darting out to moisten his dry lips anxiously.

They were led into the yard- on two rusted steel drums sat a pyramid of beer cans. A slight breeze whistled through the grass, tickling the senses and tussling Takumi's hair. The teen quickly reached up to brush his bangs from his eyes, taking in the scene before him with some trepidation. He realized it'd been awhile since he'd been outside, and he tried to take in as much of it as he could….

Kumicho sat on a nearby chair, arms crossed, watching them ghoulishly.

Saiko-komon pulled a pistol from his waistband, extending it to Takumi, barrel first.

"Shoot it."

"Eh?" Takumi blinked, looking as though he wasn't sure he'd heard him right.

"You heard me. Take it." Saiko-komon ordered, brows furrowing, thrusting the pistol in his hand forward.

Takumi hesitantly stopped forward, fingers closing around the barrel of the pistol hesitantly. As he did so, Saiko-komon stepped in so he was right beside Takumi, warm breath tickling Takumi's ear.

"If you try to use this gun against me, I will eviscerate you and Kumicho will kill you where you stand." He whispered happily, his wolfish smile never leaving his face and the bloodlust glinting in his beady eyes like the sunlight on the metal of the gun.

"I understand, Saiko-komon." Takumi managed to keep his voice level, and he quietly took the gun, holding it awkwardly in both hands.

Saiko-komon nodded to Takumi. "Shoot those cans." He ordered.

Takumi blinked, nodding, before he was fumbling, pointing the gun at the cans, staring down the barrel before hesitsantly pulling the trigger….

 _Crack!_

The recoil sent Takumi's bodyh backwards, and he dropped the gun, surprised, falling onto his ass and blinking, making a grunt of surprise….

Saiko-komon laughed. "Pathetic. But you'll learn. Come on, stand up-" Saiko-komon dragged Takumi to his feet by the upper arm, thrusting the pistol back into his hand.

"Shoot it again. Here- you'll need to cock it again, and aim better… you missed the cans entirely.

"It's loud…." Takumi blinked, surprised.

Saiko-komon grinned. "Yeah, it is. Get used to it. Don't lock your elbows, the recoil will hurt your arms prepare yourself. Focus."

Takumi nodded, raising the gun again and taking a deep breath, before he steeled himself for what was to come, pulling the trigger….

The bullet pinged through the rusted oil drum- the beer cans remained untouched.

Saiko-komon smiled slightly. "Not bad. Maybe we'll make something out of you yet, kid."

Takumi felt relief wash over him. He'd pleased his superiors- he didn't have to fear retribution for failure, now….

The gun was taken from his hands, and Takumi blinked, stepping back, watching as Kai was handed the gun and instructed on how to use it.

Kai was struggling- his hands shook, and sweat beaded on his brow. He didn't manage to get anywhere near his target, but he stayed on his feet when he fired off his rounds. Still, Saiko-komon frowned before he took the gun back, waving the boys away from him. "Enough, both of you. Back inside."

Kai looked decidedly pale and shaky as they strode back into their rooms.

"I can't believe this. Shooting guns…." He muttered. Takumi nodded grimly. While target practice didn't bother him, it was unnerving that he was Kai were partaking in yet another illegal activity.

Takumi nodded, looking troubled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, trooping up into his room and falling onto his bed, wrinkling the sheets even further, trying to figure out how to get his mind off everything.

Kai let out a shaky breath. "I want to race you, Tak." He said calmly. "When we get out of here- you'll owe me a race."

"Alright." Takumi nodded slightly, offering Kai a wane smile before rolling over, wrapping himself in the sheets and trying to get some sleep. How long had he been here again? Two… no, three days since he'd been taken, now- this was the very end of the third day.

Takumi felt a hollow ache in his chest as he thought of his father- how was his old man taking his absence?

While Takumi would never admit it himself- he ached for home, for the familiar company of his father, and the familiar security of his own bed.

 _I hope you're doing alright, Dad. You can probably run the shop without me. I'll be home soon, anyways. Probably._

* * *

It was nearly 4am when Keisuke strode back into the Takahashi residence, smelling of stale smoke and cheap booze.

"Keisuke?" Ryosuke asked, concerned.

"I'm not drunk, Aniki. I got a little beer spilled on my coat." Keisuke said calmly, peeling off his coat with enough coordination to convince Ryosuke he was telling the truth. Still, he glanced quickly at his brother's knuckles, finding the skin unmarred, revealing he hadn't been in any fights.

"So- did you discover anything?"

"Nothing about Fujiwara or Kogashiwa. My old friends are in an uproar- apparently there was a break among a major branch. One of the sons declared himself independent from their leader- struck out on his own, declared himself Kumicho. Took a bunch of lesser members with him, as well." Keisuke said with a sigh.

Ryosuke raised his eyebrows. "That's quite the coup." He knew enough about the structure of the gangs from what Keisuke had told him when he was younger. "But it does little to help us find out Fujiwara's whereabouts."

"I know- unfortunately, there are still some resident hostilities- some groups are still hostile, and if anyone seeing the offshoots, they have orders to fire. So any news of Fujiwara will likely be drowned out by the uproar over this, for now."

Ryosuke sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. It appears we've hit a dead end." He stood, heading for the stairs.

"Aniki? Where are you going?" Keisuke asked, confused. "You can't be giving up."

Ryosuke stopped mid-way up the stairs, hand on the railing, and turned, giving his brother a tired look. "I'm not giving up, Keisuke. I'm going to get some sleep. I have clinical in four hours, and I suggest you get some sleep, as well. We'll continue our investigation tomorrow night." Was all the dark-haired brother said, before he turned, finishing his rather slow climb of the stairs and disappearing down the hallway.

Keisuke sighed, frustrated they hadn't been able to get anywhere.

He strode into the living room- he was far too awake to sleep, and he threw himself on the couch, turning on the TV and watching nothing in particular, letting the voices be a dull background noise that dragged him closer to sleep.

 _Damn it, Fujiwara._ He thought sleepily. _Wherever you are- you'd better be alright. You owe me a rematch, after all._ Were his last thoughts, before the dull oblivion of sleep pulled him under.

* * *

 **Please review! I love any and all feedback! :)**


	8. Escape Attempt

**Alright- this chapter details Takumi's fourth day with the Yakuza.**

* * *

"Get up."

"Mmnnn…." Takumi muttered- he found himself halfway into the land of the living.

The sound of a gun cocking made his eyes fly open.

The cold metal of a gun barrel kissed his skin, and Takumi's eyes flew open to see Saiko-komon pressing the muzzle of his pistol to his forehead. "Up, kid. I'm not gonna ask again."

Takumi blinked, swallowing, before he nodded.

Saiko-komon grinned, teeth glinting, and Takumi swung his legs over the side of the bed, hearing his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he trotted after Saiko-komon. He was suddenly wide awake.

Takumi cast one last glance at Kai- the other teenager was sleeping peacefully.

 _They must only need me for this assignment._ Takumi thought simply, trying to repress the nausea that blossomed in his stomach at helping these gangsters again.

Takumi made his way down to the garage calmly, finding the cheerful dew-rag clad gangster waiting for him.

"Morning, kid."

Takumi caught the keys to the Supra when they were thrown at him, nodding shyly to the man.

Kumicho loked at both of them sternly. "You know the assignment. Complete it- you know the only deal we'll accept."

Dew rag nodded solemnly, and Takumi squirmed uncomfortably under Kumicho's gaze.

He followed Dew rag's lead, getting into the Supra and starting the car as dew rag gave him a crooked-toothed smile. "So, how're you doing?"

Takumi shrugged. "Fine. Right or left?"

"Huh? Oh- left."

Takumi nodded, swallowing tensely. They were heading towards the city again. Takumi hoped they werenlt going to be doing another bank job. Then again, it was still too early. All the banks were closed.

They drove through the nearly deserted city streets for a half hour, before Dew rag finally nodded to him. "Pull in here."

Takumi swung the Supra around, puling in the small driveway between buildings- a laundromat and what looked to be an apartment complex.

Takumi put the supra in park, turning to look at Dew Rag apprehensively.

"Pop the trunk, kid."

Takumi obeyed, and Dew rag got out of the car, still sitting anxiously.

He heard the trunk small shut, and Dew rag walked past the window and into the side door of the laundromat, a black trash bag slung voer his shoulder….

Takumi stiffened. Was that… a body? No, the bag hadn't been full enough to contain a dead body… at least, not a whole one. Still, that did little to calm his frayed nerves, and he took a deep breath and rested his head against the steering wheel for a moment.

Raised voices filtered out into the alley- one of them belonged to Dewrag.

Takumi closed his eyes and tried to drown it out, tried to think of something else- his father, the 86, anything….

Takumi's eyes flew open as he heard a muffled shout, and the sound of something striking flesh.

Suddenly, there were no more raised voices- only the muffled sounds of blows being thrown. Takumi could hear whimpers and gasps, and even, at one point, muffled begging.

There was a solid minute of silence, before Dewrag was trooping out of the laundramat, giving Takumi that crooked smile of his.

"Take us home, kid." He said cheerfully.

Takumi nodded hesitantly, putting the Supra in reverse and pulling out.

Still, Dewrag caught Takumi staring at his bloodied hands. The man's large knuckles were torn, his normally peach skin covered in crimson.

Dewrag simply grinned at Takumi as he untied the dew rag from his head, using it to attempt to clean his hands. "Sometimes you have to drive a hard bargain, kid. 200,000 yen isn't something to joke about."

Takumi swallowed and nodded slightly, keeping his eyes on the road and trying to control his breathing.

 _D-did I just hear him kill a guy?_ Takumi thought to himself, mouth dry. Still, he was in no position to ask questions, and he simply did his best to get them home without incident.

As soon as they'd reached the remote house, Takumi retreated upstairs to find Kai awake and waiting for him.

"Where the hell were you!?" Kai demanded, gaze angry. Still, he looked relieved to see Takumi was back.

"They took me out on an… assignment." Takumi managed, keeping his gaze low.

Kai frowned. "Was it bad?"

"He came back with blood on his hands. I don't know." Takumi admitted dryly, sitting down on his bed and fiddling with a thread on the fabric anxiously. "I… I think it was a drug deal."

Kai nodded- Takumi's report seemed to only strengthen his resolve, and he eyed the door nervously before crossing the room, looking at Takumi calmly.

"Listen, Takumi- it's been five days since they brought me here. Four, for you…. The police are taking far too long. I'm leaving- tonight- and you're welcome to come with me."

Takumi's eyes widened, but Kai cut him off.

"Saiko-komon keeps the keys to the cars by his desk- we get ahold of them and just go tonight, don't look back, and find the nearest police station. We can do it- we just have to slip out. Are you in or what?"

Takumi paused, looking over at Kai's serious brown eyes before dipping his chin into a nearly unperceivable nod.

Kai grinned, looking relieved. "Good, I'll drive- all you'll have to do is be look out. We play our cards right, and we can get home by tomorrow morning."

* * *

That night Takumi slipped into the kitchen under the guise of grabbing a rice ball to nibble on- he could see Saiko-komon's back turned to him as he drank and smoked with the other gangsters, and Takumi hurriedly grabbed his rice ball, scuttling down the hallway unnoticed to find Kai waiting.

Takumi nodded to him. "Go."

Kai darted down the hallway towards another bedroom- Takumi found himself alone in the hallway, his heart pounding in his ears.

Takumi clenched his hand into a fist- this would be okay, all they had to do was get the keys.

Still, one minute dragged by, then two, and Takumi felt his heart speed up.

Muffled footsteps approached, and Takumi's head snapped up, alarmed, to see Saiko-komon striding down the hall- his rom was just around the corner, and any moment, he'd run into Kai….

"Saiko-komon." His mouth was working faster than his mind, now, and he stepped in front of his black-clad superior and kidnapper.

The man's dark brows creased, and he frowned, looking at the teenager in his path. "Kid?" he asked impatiently.

"Kai was just looking for you…. I… uh… I was wondering if you'd let me shoot a gun again soon." The words were pouring out faster than Takumi could think of them- he was improvising, and it was the first thing that'd come to mind.

Saiko-komon was perfectly still for a moment, before his face split into that calculating grin. "Sure. Enjoyed pumping those can full of lead, huh?"

"Mmm." Takumi nodded seriously. Shooting a gun didn't really phase him- after all, he wasn't shooting at people. Besides, it was a good distraction to keep Saiko-komon busy.

Saiko-komon's eyes glinted for a moment, surprised by Takumi's serious response. "Well. We might just make something out of you yet, kid." He frowned, noticing the un-touched rice ball in Takumi's hand. "You should eat that soon. Weird kid….." Saiko-komon ruffled Takumi's hair, stepping past him and striding towards his room, almost running into Kai as the teen rounded the corner.

Kai blinked, looking surprised to see Saiko-komon.

"Be more like him and you'll do well, kid." Was all Saiko-komon said to the darker haired boy, brushing past him and ducking into his room.

Kai blinked, surprised, before looking at Takumi. Takumi shrugged in response- he'd had to stall the man to keep Kai from getting caught.

Takumi stared at Kai anxiously- the older teen nodded, patting his pocket and grabbing Takumi's upper arm, guiding the teen towards the stairwell. He had the keys.

Both boys jogged downstairs into the garage, scoping out the area. The garage was deserted. Kai jogged over to the red GTR, moving to grab the keys from his pocket…..

"Hey!"

Kai froze, hearing a voice that wasn;t his own or Takumi's, and turned to see a burly gangster standing in the doorway.

"It's unusual to se you two out of your room." The man flashed them a crooked smile, reaching up to scratch at his head through his dewrag, stepping closer to Takumi. "So- I take it you enjoyed this morning's assignment?"

"It was interesting." Takumi said honestly, voice never faltering.

The man laughed. "Yeah. Not as interesting as knocking off the bank our first time, but still- you're a good driver. Kumicho made the right choice picking y-ugh!"

Dewrag crashed to the ground. Takumi blinked, surprised, to see Kai had grabbed a wrench from a nearby workbench and hit the man with it, knocking him out cold.

Kai stood, wrench in hand, breathing heavily.

"Well don't just stand there!" Kai growled, running back to the GTR. "Let's go!"

Takumi nodded, pulling himself from his stupor and jumping into the passenger seat of the GTR. The garage door opener was in the center console, and Kai tossed it to him, starting up the GTR. The engine purred beneath them, and Takumi pressed the button- the garage door started to open rather noisily, and both teens exchanged panicked glances.

After three seconds of absolute dread, someone burst into the garage, and Kai slammed down on the pedal, taking off into the dusk.

Kai slammed on the breaks, barely making the corner out of the driveway and heading the opposite way of the city- best to lose these bastards on the back roads rather than challenge them on their own turf.

"Shit, that was close." Kai muttered.

Takumi simply nodded tiredly, heart beating loudly in his chest.

Kai took the next corner at an above average speed but mage it- this mountain road was steep and narrow, with barely room for two cars to pass one another. On one side, the guardrail blocked a sheer drop, and on the other, the rocky mountain face loomed threateningly.

Kai flicked the headlights to the brightest setting, the headlights piercing the darkness heavy darkness.

Kai beamed. "We did it, though. Once we hit the next police station, we'll be fine…."

As he spoke, an engine roared in the distance. Takumi's head whipped around, and Kai inhaled sharply, slamming down on the accelerator.

"Shit shit shit! I didn't expect them to follow us!" Kai muttered- he actually scraped the guardrail at the next corner, the GTR wobbling slightly but straightening out as it descended the mountain at a brisk pace.

Still, just before they took the corner, Takumi swore he'd seen headlights in the distance behind them.

"Kai!"

"I know!" Kai shouted, before he was slamming on the breaks. Takumi was nearly thrown into the dash, and Kai slowed down, barely making the ninety-degree corner. Kai let out a rushed breath, hurrying to get the car going again- behind them, Takumi could hear the roar of the engine getting closer.

No les than five seconds later did the headlights appear in their rearview mirror, the bright lights nearly blinding them.

"Can't you go any faster!?" Takumi demanded.

"I don't know this course, dammit! Do you want to crash through the guardrail like we almost did a minute ago!?" Kai demanded.

Takumi ignored him completely, looking up in the rear-view mirror despite how his mind shouted at him not to- Kai was doing a good job maintaining a good two car length distance between them and the gangsters, but that was about it.

Behind them, Takumi could see the blue supra he'd driven that morning absolutely gunning it, weaving slightly- these yakuza were no street racers, that was for sure, but they had the advantage of knowing the course.

Takumi checked the side mirrorsquinting, only to hear pop and watch the mirror he;d been staring at moments ago shatter into a thousand pieces….

"They're shooting at us!" Kai shouted over the roar of the engine, wrenching the wheel to the right. Takumi could hear bullets pinging off the rear bumper. He in stinctively shrunk down in the passanger seat, eyes wide, sweating, before he noticed the glove box. Kai took another sharp corner, buying them a few seconds.

Takumi noticed the glove box, taking a sharp breath and wrenching it open, coming face to face with a pistol.

For a moment, the gunshots behind them had stopped- they were probably reloading.

He didn't hesitate, grabbing up the gun and loading the magazine, sliding it into the gun and cocking it.

Takumi rolled down the window, taking a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

"Eh?" Kai blinked. "Takumi, what he hell…."

"Just drive! I'll try and keep them from shooting out our tires!" Takumi shouted over the roar of the engine.

"Takum-"

"Drive!"

Takumi was already leaning out the window, clinging to the door with one hand and struggling to aim the gun with the other….

 _Alright. Just like you did yesterday, with the cans. Don't kill anyone…. Just, shoot out the front tires if yhou can._ He thought to himself calmly.

He fired the first shot- it pinged off the front bumper of the supra, which weaved slightly- the driver was no doubt startled.

Takumi let go of the door entirely, cocking the gun again and firing again. A resounding crack sounded, and at that moment Kai jerked the wheel abruptly, causing Takumi to fall back into the vehicle roghly. They barely scraped around a corner, and Takumi blinked, re-orienting himself before he was leaning out the window again.

His next shot was a miss, but succeeded, in a sense.

He managed to shoot out one of the supra's headlights- the car behind them began fish tailing, and Takumi ducked back into the GTR. "Punch it!" he shouted.

Kai took the next corner at a nearly impossible speed- Takumi actually felt the car's bumper scrape the guardrail, grating on it, before he pulled out of the corner, ehading back down the hill.

"We can make it! Turn the headlights off!" Takumi urged.

Kai's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Are you insane!? We'll crash!"

"Alright then- just go!" Takumi said, realizing by the anxious look on his face the Kai really couldn't drive without headlights.

An upcoming sign indicated a sharp curve ahead, and Kai decelerated to 100 kmph- Kai was already shaky at the wheel, but he wasn't suicidal….

Just as they started to take the curve, the Supra, with only one headlight, screamed around the corner- in a volley of gunshots, a loud boom cough be heard- the GTR shifted sickeningly beneath them. Had they been going on a straight away, Kai probably would've been able to keep control of the car, even with a tire being shot-out.

But as it was, entering into the corner with the car's weight shifted, the GTR careened into the guardrail, then, pin balling off it in a spin before crashing into the rocky side of the mountain with a sickening crunch. The last thing Takumi heard was the screaming of metal on stone before he flew forward into the dash, rebounding backwards into his seat, before everything went black.

* * *

The first thing Takumi was aware of was the taste of blood. He peeled open his eyes to find himself staring into the painfully bright beams of flashlights and blinked, biting back a groan at the sudden pain swirling in his head and nausea bubbling up in his throat.

Takumi caught a brief glance at Kai's expression- the other teen had a bloody nose and some cuts on his face, but he didn't look nearly as bad as Takumi felt. If anything, Kai looked relieved he was awake- that couldn't be good.

Takumi let his eyes fall closed, black shuttering his blurry vision for a moment.

He simply closed his eyes and tried to listen.

"Fuckers nearly blew the whole operation. Hell, the smaller one _shot_ at us…." An agitated voice was arguing from behind the flashlight beams.

"Kumicho ordered they be brought back alive." A steady, monotone voice that might've been Saiko-komon was saying.

"They attacked us and stole our shit! They have to be punished for this, the arrogant brats nearly blew the operation!"

"You don't think I'm just as pissed as you are!?" Saiko-komon snapped. "They'll be punished for their actions- however, how and when they'll be punished depends on Kumicho's directive. Unless _you_ want to be punished as well, for violating orders…."

Saiko-komon was met with resounding silence. "That;s what I thought. Have the boys pull up the chevy- let's get these two pieces of shit back to base."

Takumi couldn't find it in himself to open his eyes. His head was spinning, and he had a feeling they;d go easier on him if he simply feigned unconsciousness….

"C'mon, brat." Takumi heard a door opening and felt the movement to his right as they dragged Kai from the car.

"I… I think Takumi is really hurt." Kai said, voice shaking.

Takumi's eyes opened a fraction, surprised. Did he really look bad enough for Kai to try and get him help?

"That's wonderful, kid. Wouldn't have happened if you two fucks had just stayed where you should've…. Put him in the trunk." Saiko-komon ordered coldly. There was a thud, and a moment later, Takum was being unbuckled and dragged out of the car.

"Damn." Saiko-komon whistled. "Kid looks like shit. Well, he was on the side that hit the rock face…."

"What do we do with him?"

"Put him in the trunk with his best friend over there."

Takumi forced his eyes open, glassy eyes focusing in on Saiko-komon, who smiled ghoulishly.

"Ah, so he's awake, after all. What's the matter, kid? Can't take the speed?"

Takumi turned his head to the side and vomited onto the pavement- his eyes watered and his throat burned, and Saiko-komon frowned. "Well, that's gotta suck. Anyways- trunk."

Takumi was hauled across the pavement, a gangster on either arm, before he was unceremoniously dumped ontop of Kai, the door to the trunk slammed down above them.

Kai squirmed beneath him, edging over so Takumi could only see his eyes in the darkness.

"Takumi?"

Takumi grunted- he really didn't want to talk right now.

Kai let out a shaky breath. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live." Takumi said simply. While he felt horrible, he'd probably be okay.

Kai nodded, looking relieved. "I'm sorry I got you into this, Takumi."

Takumi said nothing for a long moment, and Kai was afraid he wouldn't say anything. A moment later, however, Takumi spoke. "We almost made it."

Kai let out a hollow laugh, sounding close to tears. "Yeah- we almost did."

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	9. Consequences

**MAILBAG**

A Midi File

Okay. ok. I really should make a Fanfiction account, I guess. This is awesome. I have recently discovered Initial D, and after binge-watching the first and second stages, well, I went out to discover the landscape of the community. For Fanfiction, and AO3, it seemed pretty bleak, with only a few stories and such. Until I began to read said stories. Even if they were Oneshots, or shorter than novel-length, they were of amazing quality, pretty much all of them, unlike some larger fandoms that only have half-and-half or worse. And I have migrated from larger groups to smaller ones, in hopes that I could help. By writing a ton of stuff. And the thing is, I'm good at writing, even if I don't do it much. But you? You have inspired me. Because you are  
very  
very  
very  
good  
at what you do.

tl;dr you're takumi in microsoft word  
have a nice day/night

 **Aw, why thank you! Your review made me smile and feel really awesome! :)**

Over900Guest

An overall fascinating story, its rare to find such well written intial d fanfiction. Im excited to read the next chapter. Keep up the great work ;)

 **Thanks so much! This review inspired me to update today! :)**

 **In this chapter...**

 **Takumi and Kai's punishment at the hands of the gang is depicted in this chapter. While there isn't any sexual violence, there is a bit of blood, and it's not for the squeamish or fainthearted. Japanese definitions are included below.**

* * *

The purr of the Supra's engine was the only sound as they climbed the hill, and inside the trunk was silent.

Takumi's head throbbed- while he had a few scrapes and bruises, however, he was mostly unharmed, and Kai looked to be in the same boat.

Both teens were dead silent as they made their way back to the solitary house about a half-hour outside of Mount Utatsu. Dread filled the trunk, so thick it was nearly choking- both teens were terrified of what was to come upon their return.

The seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity- in the cramped hot trunk, heads bouncing along with the motion of the car.

All too soon, however, the Supra came to a halt. The sound of the garage door closing was heard behind them, and voices too muffled to be heard were talking outside.

The trunk was thrown open- both boys blinked, surprised, at the orange light that lit the garage from a solitary swinging lightbulb, blinking harshly.

Takumi was grabbed first- his shirt was balled into the fists of strangers before he was dumped unceremoniously on the cement, Kai soon following suit.

Takumi swallowed, looking around the garage anxiously. The walls of the place were lined with gangsters- they leaned against the wall on all sides of them.

Still, they were far enough out of the light that their faces were masked- they appeared to be mere shadows, encircling the night. Other than the swinging bulb and the orange glow of lit cigarettes, the place was completely devoid of all light.

Takumi could feel himself start to sweat- the very air in the place was heavy- he could practically taste the blood-lust, the barely suppressed rage of the men around them dripped from the walls….

Kumicho stepped into the center of the room, allowing the light to bathe him. Takumi waited for him to speak, but as the silence stretched on, the tension in the room only increased, and the thrumming of his pulse in his ears only grew louder.

The whispers in the room that circled amongst the gangsters like smoke grew to murmurs, then outright talking among one another….

"They should be beaten until they repent…."

"Let them be our ashtrays- their bare backs- until they beg for forgiveness…."

"…with the buckle end of a belt…."

"Beat them until they prostrate themselves and apologize…."

"Yubitsume **(1)**."

Kumicho exchanged hushed conversation with Saiko-komon, nodding for a brief moment, before he spoke.

"Daiki." Kumicho's voice rang out over the murmurs, and Dewrag- Daiki, that was the man's real name- stepped forward, hands in his pockets.

"Their second offense was committed against you." Kumicho said calmly. "So tell me- what do you think we should do to them?"

Dewrag frowned, shoulders slumped. He was sporting a rather large goose egg, and he looked thoroughly annoyed as he glared down at the two teenagers.

"They appear not to know how serious we are, Kumicho. I suggest we teach them how dedicated our family really is." Dewrag answered evenly.

Kumicho nodded, taking the man's input into consideration, before he addressed those gathered in the garage as a whole.

"And the rest of you? They nearly destroyed our operation- you would've all been jailed. Their third offense is against you, so tell me- what should we do?"

There was resounding silence for a moment, before a young boy who couldn't have been out of high school spoke up. "Yubitsume! We'd have to face it if we threatened to betray the group- why should these two be any different!?"

Kumicho grinned, his teeth glinting eerily in the light from the single swinging bulb. "A very prudent observation. Saiko-komon agrees with you."

Kai had gone pale, and Takumi had broken out in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes from where he was hunched on his knees, shaking slightly at the thought of what was to come. They'd sever his pinky finger at the first joint…. It would be horribly painful.

Kai grabbed onto him, pulling him down so they both were prostrate.

"Moushi wake arimasen." **(2)** Kai spoke, voice shaking. The older teen was attempting to save them the mutilation of Yubitsume, Takumi realized with slight alarm. Kai sounded sincere, and Takumi swallowed, hoping his desperate bid for forgiveness might work….

Kumicho shook his head. "It's far too late for that, my friend." He crouched down before Kai, flipping out a switchblade.

Kai's eyes widened, and Takumi instinctively moved backwards….

This was going to hurt. This was going to hurt a lot. No matter how sharp Kumicho's knife was, it wouldn't cut cleanly through the bone of the finger….

Kai took a deep breath, steeling himself for the pain to come. Kumicho scrutinized the teen's frightened brown eyes for a moment, blinking once, before he stood, putting his switchblade away.

"Do what you wish to him, boys."

Five of the gangsters materialized from the shadows, eager for bloodshed. The first punch sent Kai crashing to the cement floor- as he tried to pick himself up, a brutal kick to the ribs sent him back to the ground.

Kai yipped and whimpered involuntarily. Takumi watched them pummel the older teen, shaking slightly as he did so- they tore off Kai's shirt at one point- three of the gangsters held him down, and Kai screamed in a way he'd never heard before….

Someone had put out a lit cigarette on his back.

A moment later, bloodied and bruised, Kai was on his knees again- a gangster on either arm held him upright as kicks and punches were happened down on him- Kai's nose wept blood, his body recoiling sharply from every blow.

Kai screamed a second time- such a pained, drawn out scream, it chilled Takumi to the bone.

A Nike clad foot collided with the Kai's jaw, sending the teen sprawling- Takumi watched Kai's head bounce off the cement, saw the glazed look in his half-open eyes….

"Stop it you bastards! _You're killing him!"_ his own voice rang out above the sounds of the beating, and the garage fell completely silent.

Takumi was still sitting on the cement floor, chest heaving. Had he even just said that? His head was spinning so much, he didn't know.

Kumicho closed the distance between them in two swift strides, crouching before him and taking Takumi's chin in his hand, expression serious.

"I've spared you the suffering of Yubitsume, and _this_ is how you repay me?" he growled, looking down at Takumi angrily.

"Y-you're going to kill him." Takumi managed to stutter out, never breaking eye contact with the older gangster.

Kai still hadn't moved from his position on the cement floor- he looked dazed, laying motionless, entire body shaking from pain and soreness as he attempted to catch his breath….

Kumicho's eyes flashed, and he stood, nodding to the teenagers still orbiting the fallen Kai. "Break him." Was all he ordered, before he stood back, watching the apparent torture squad approach Takumi.

The first kick slammed into his left ear- a hollow buzzing was all he heard as his cheek met the cement. He grit his teeth and clamped his mouth shut as another sneaker found purchase between his ribs, before he was dragged up by the hair and served a vicious right hook to the jaw that sent him to the flor again.

He tasted blood, but never faltered. He was limp like a ragdoll, letting them punch and kick him to their heart's content. Muffled grunts were all that escaped him as they continued their assault- he'd been in fights before, and it was with extreme willpower he bit back every cry of pain that bubbled up in his throat.

His self-control was only enhanced by the amount of pure hatred that bubbled up in his throat. As his body was pummeled, he could think of nothing more than the image of Kai's head bouncing off the cement, the emotionless way Kumicho ordered his men to beat them….

 _Cowards…. All of you are stupid bastards…_ was the only clear thought running through his mind.

After a prolonged beating, his assailants backed off, Kumicho striding through them and taking Takumi by the chin.

The teen didn't know it, but blood was dripping down his face from a scrape over his right eye- his nose oozed blood sluggishly, and a great deal of that blood had dripped down his mouth, mingling with that of his split lip to cover his chin….

His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, bruises already forming on the skin beneath his shirt- his arms were coved in abrasions and brush burns from being on the cement floor.

Kumicho yanked him up by a tuft of his hair this time, learning in close and whispering in his ear like a snake.

"You're a foolish kid if you think you can escape us. You really think we'd hesitate to kill your father? Or his family?" Kumicho jerked his head towards the slumped form of Kai. "We want your cooperation- our kindness has clearly failed to move you, so perhaps fear will compel you. I have to give you props- you're tougher than you look, kid. This can all be over if you just give in. One little whimper- let us know you regret what you've done."

Takumi glared at the man through his one unswollen eye, gaze shouldering.

Kumicho frowned, lips pulling back from his teeth in a frustrated snarl.

"You're only making this harder on yourself."

Takumi turned his head away from the man, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the cement floor, and said nothing, continuing to glare at his captor. Kumicho let go of the lock of hair he'd been holding him by, and Takumi dropped roughly to the floor again, panting slightly.

"Make him cry out." Was all Kumicho said, turning and melting into the darkness, outside the range of the single swinging light bulb.

Takumi's dirty T-shirt was pulled over his head, exposing his chest.

Takumi inhaled sharply as a burning cigarette was put out on his left side, eyes tearing up, but still, he didn't give in.

 _I won't give you the satisfaction…._

"Why… won't… you… break!?" Each word was punctuated with a kick to his chest. Takumi smiled- he was nearly unconscious, now- he was floating, he wasn't even there anymore. One mire good blow and he'd be in the sweet peace of oblivion….

Only the blow never came. His head stopped swimming, and Takumi blinked, surprised….

"Get him up." Someone growled.

Takumi was seized under the arms and held up by a teenager on either side.

The sound of a gun cocking mad him look up, alarmed. His eyes widened and his breathing increased as the cold metal was pressed into his right shoulder, just below his collar bone.

He was about to say something, to concede they'd won, when the sound of a gunshot left his ears ringing.

He was burning- his whole entire shoulder was burning. He'd lost all feeling in his arm, it was as though a thousand fire ants were biting his shoulder and he'd been stabbed with a red hot iron, and he fell to the ground, twisting and writhing, struggling to get away from the pain he couldn't stop.

Warm blood dripped down his skin, but the pain was so intense, he didn't even notice.

The last thing that escaped his throat was a raw, primal scream, before he was out cold.

Kai's half-open eyes widened at the sight- slowly, the gangsters began to disperse. Once the garage was nearly empty, Kai crawled over to Takumi despite his own aching body, shaking the younger teen desperately.

"T-Takumi!" he stuttered hoarsely, alarmed. Takumi made no move to get up.

Kumicho stood beside Saiko-komon, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold before him. "Remember this the next time you think of defying us. And don't forget- we know where your family is."

The color drained from Kai's face at the veiled threat, and Kumicho strode out of the garage, the sound of his shoes on the cement the only sound.

Saiko-komon lingered for a brief moment, looking down at the two teens pitifully for a moment.

"Just so you know, I voted for Yubitsume." He said, as though hearing this would make them think he was more humane.

Then he, too, left them alone.

Kai was left to bleeding and hysterical beside Takumi's unconscious form. He slung Takumi's arm over his shoulder, stumbling forward with the limp teen and dragging him upstairs. The bullet wound in Takumi's right shoulder wept blood, and it was all Kai could do to struggle to stop the bleeding.

* * *

 **(1) Yubitsume, or finger shortening, is where a disobedient Samuri would have his pinky finger chopped off at the first joint as penance for a transgression. Also a comonly used punishment for disobedient Yakuza.**

 **(2) Moushi wake arimasen., a formal Japanese apology, meaning 'I am so sorry.'**


	10. Falling in Line

**Sorry it took me so long to update! I just started nursing school and it's really intense. Please review- all your feedback inspires me to getting my schoolwork done so I can write faster! :)**

* * *

Takumi groaned, shifting slightly.

He was stopped from moving any further by a hand on his bare chest. "Stay still."

After a moment of fighting with himself, he found himself looking through the darkness into the serious face of Kai.

"Kai…?"

"They shot you. I managed to get the bleeding to stop an hour ago with the bedsheets, but I don't want you to re-open it. So lay still."

Takumi nodded, settling back down to be still on his bed, only too happy to comply with the older teen's order. As his mind became more awake, he was becoming more and more aware of how much of him hurt….

Slowly, the memories were trickling back. Crashing the GTR, being thrown in the trunk of the Supra, being struck, the eerie swinging of the single light bulb in the garage, the sight of Kai half-conscious on the cement floor, his own screaming as he was shot….

The past four- no, five, today was the fifth day he'd spent here- seemed worlds away from the life he'd lived at the Tofu shop with his father. He felt a pang and pushed the memories and homesickness away, for now.

"A-are you alright?" Takumi managed shakily, trying to push himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Kai but failing miserably.

Kai nodded, running a hand through his dark hair. "Yeah, I'm fine." There was a large, dark bruise running along Kai's jaw, and dried blood was crusted on the teen's face. Takumi looked at him skeptically.

Kai sighed. "Look, what they did to me was a walk in the park compared to you. I'll deal with patching myself up later."

Takumi nodded, fingers gingerly reaching up to peel back the bedsheet he was wrapped in. "So… they really shot me?"

Kai swatted his hand away anxiously. "Yes! Now don't touch it! I'm pretty sure it's superficial, I mean, you probably would've died by now if they hit anything vital, but I'm no doctor. So _don't touch_!" Kai snapped.

Takumi blinked, surprised, and Kai rolled his eyes, sitting down heavily on his own bed, wincing slightly as he did so. He, too, had been beaten pretty badly. "I mean honestly, you get shot and then expect me not to be worried."

Takumi went to shrug but was stopped by his injured shoulder. He let out a hiss of pain from between clenched teeth, taking a moment to get control over the hurt before he opened his eyes, turning his head to look over at Kai.

"So… what do we do now?"

Kai stared at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean 'what do we do?'. We sit here and do what they tell us, that's what we do!" Kai said seriously, looking shocked. "I mean- they _shot_ you."

"I'm still here, though."

"Yeah, but they threatened our families! Even if we _do_ escape, and they _don't_ kill us, we'll have to worry about them getting caught in the crossfire. We have no options- we do as they say." Kai said, sounding increasingly worried as he spoke.

"I mean, I don't know about you, but after what they just did to us, I don't want those guys going _near_ our families. They'd hurt my Dad, and my mom and sister…." Kai shuddered, crossing his arms. "I don't want to think what they'd do to them."

Takumi lowered his eyes, realizing Kai was right. They were backed into a corner- the only option they had was to comply.

"The police must still be looking for us." Takumi said, trying to ease the heavy air that'd settled in the room.

Kai forced a smile on his face. "Yeah- yeah, I guess you're right." He said, though it sounded as though he didn't believe a word of what he was saying.

"We just have to hang on until they get here." _If they even find us. It's been five days already- I don't know how much more we can take._

* * *

"Anything?" Ryosuke asked his brother cautiously as Keisuke trooped into the house again late that night.

Keisuke shook his head, pulling off his coat and throwing it onto a nearby chair. "No. Only thing I heard was that the new Yakuza offshoot- the one that everyone was so up in arms about- scored big in a bank robbery in Ishikawa. That's it."

Keisuke sunk heavily into a chair of the dining room table, sighing. "It's like they just disappeared off the face of the Earth, Aniki."

"Don't lose hope. They're out there somewhere." Ryosuke said simply, sighing.

* * *

The door to the room swung open early that morning, and Kai looked up from where he'd been sitting in bed, unable to sleep.

Saiko-komon stood in the doorway, looking over at Takumi quizzically.

"He's sleeping. I'll do whatever assignment you have, aniki." Kai lowered his eyes- he was disgusted to himself for giving into the gangster's ways and doing whatever they asked of him, but really, what choice did they have?

Saiko-komon simply nodded, motioning for Kai to get up and follow him.

Kai followed his superior to the garage, finding the Supra waiting for him. The GTR was up on jacks, with several men working on it to repair the damage.

A man clad in a black hoodie- Kai recognized him as one of the men who'd beaten him last night- sat in the passenger seat.

Stiffly, Kai slid into the driver's seat, trying not to aggravate his sore body. Once he'd situated himself, he turned the key, starting the car and staring blankly ahead of himself.

"Where would you like me to take you, aniki?"

The gangster pulled back his upper lip in a grin, before he was swiftly giving directions.

A half an hour later, Kai pulled up alongside a bank, leaving the motor running.

As his companion puled on a mask and Kai popped the trunk, the gangster sneered at Kai. "Remember- if you try to leave, we'll have your family."

With that the man stood, leaving the car and sprinting into the bank.

Kai waited tensely for what seemed like hours but was really only two minutes, sprinting back to the car and slamming the trunk shut, diving into the passenger seat.

Kai didn't need to be told which direction to go, picking one at random that seemed to be the farthest from the sirens that were beginning to wail in the distance.

The police response time was faster now, Kai noted with some apprehension, as two police cars managed to trail him.

Even at his top speed, Kai couldn't shake them- he knew he could go faster, but he also knew that in doing so he'd risk losing control. A crash wasn't something he could afford right now.

His passenger rolled down the window, pulling a handgun from his waistband and leaning out the window to aim….

Kai felt his heartrate speed up, if that were even possible. At this point, he was literally sweating bullets, and for a moment, he was at a total loss as to what to do…. _I don't want anyone to die today…._ Was all he could think, before he jerked the wheel slightly, causing the gangster's aim to be off and his bullet to hit a nearby streetlamp instead of slamming through the windshield of the cruiser.

The gangster swore loudly, and Kai swung around the neck left sharply, the momentum of the move causing the gangster to fall back into his seat.

"Hold her steady, dammit!" the man shouted, agitated.

"Don't bother! I can lose these guys if you keep in the car!" was all Kai shouted, gunning the Supra down the hill in a near suicidal move.

There were several intersections along the way down the steep hill, and Kai silently prayed that no cars were coming as he blew through the red lights, the police cruisers slowing but not halting their pursuit of them.

Kai put the pedal to the floor, and the gangster beside him clung to the seat, horrified. "At this speed, you won't make that curve! _Slow down or we're going to die, you suicidal bastard!"_

Kai couldn't hear a thing besides the pounding blood in his ears.

Time slowed down as, as the base of the hill, he slammed on the brakes, pulling up the handbrake as he went and power sliding, the rear of the car sliding out, slowing the vehicle enough to make the curve. The scent of burning rubber filled the air, but Kai barely drifted out of his lane. The whole momentum of the car shifted, rolling on it's tires, and once he was at the right angle to keep driving, Kai slammed the emergency break back down and put the gas pedal to the floor, gunning through the outskirts of the city before disappearing onto the mountain pass.

For a long moment, Kai was silent, the only sound the purring of the Supra's engine as they drove.

"I thought drifting was the other guy's thing." The gangster finally managed hoarsely.

"It is. But just because I like driving grip, doesn't mean I can't drift." Kai said. But it was a lie. These gangsters were clueless as to what it meant to truly drift, since if he knew the first thing about driving theory, he'd have known it technically wasn't a drift- his utilization of the hand break had made it a power slide, a rather rookie way to mimic drifting.

Still, it'd done what he needed it to, and Kai let out a long breath, turning to look over at the gangster. "Which way do I go, aniki? I don't know the way back."

The gangster nodded dumbly, providing rather simple instructions to Kai to take them back to the rather large, lonely house.

Kai strode back into his room to find Takumi sitting up in bed, looking around.

He blinked, surprised, when Kai entered the room. "Where did you go?"

"Assignment." Kai said simply, sitting down heavily on his bed. "Another bank robbery." Was his answer to Takumi's inquisitive glance.

Takumi nodded, and Kai tossed him something. "I found that on the floor of the garage." He said simply.

Takumi looked down to find it was his dirty t-shirts and nodded, looking rather glad to have it back.

Kai looked hesitantly at Takumi's shoulder- the wound appeared to have clotted, but still, it should've been covered….

"I'd tie some cloth over that if I were you." Kai said simply, and Takumi nodded, tying some torn strips of fabric over the wound, grunting slightly, before he gingerly tugged his shirt back on, being especially careful of his wounded shoulder.

"Chh-" Kai grunted sharply as he laid down on his bed, feeling all the bruises from last night spring back to his awareness. "I'll be fine. Just sore." Kai said simply, in answer to Takumi's questioning gaze.

The younger teen nodded slightly, laying back on his own bed. "This is the third bank robbery we've pulled. They're bound to notice the pattern soon…."

Kai nodded, not even bothering to open his eyes or acknowledge the small spark of hope he felt.

* * *

"My god, they did it again." Keisuke said simply, looking up from where he was eating a sandwich. Ryosuke sat on the couch, working on his laptop, the nightly news playing in the background, and Keisuke stared at the screen, engrossed in the story. "Another bank robbery in Ishikawa. That's the third one that new group has pulled off in the past week."

Ryosuke nodded, not looking up from where he was typing away on a term paper. "Did they catch the perpetrators yet?" he asked idly.

Keisuke scoffed. "No. The police can't even touch these guys- they've gotten away every time…."

Ryosuke abruptly stopped typing.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Keisuke frowned. "I said the police can't even touch these guys. Outran them in a high speed chase…."

Ryosuke's eyes narrowed. "to get away from police three times, they'd have to be pretty good drivers, don't you think?"

Keisuke sucked in a breath. "You aren't saying what I think you're saying. Fujiwara is a straight-laced kid- he wouldn't do something like that. He's just a teenager, and I'm sure the same is true for Kogashiwa…."

"Ture. But if he were being forced to do it?" Ryosuke asked, arching an eyebrow.

Keisuke had paled.

Ryosuke closed his laptop and stood, grabbing the keys to his FD from his desk.

"Keisuke. I think we need to visit the police station."

* * *

"What do you mean you won't let us see the Lieutenant!?" Keisuke demanded, outraged, as they stood at the front desk of their police station.

"Listen, kid, there's enough crime in Gunma as it is. Right now, our force is working on getting the jump on a bunch of illegal street racing brats. The Lieutenant has more important things to do than listen to a conspiracy theory pieced together by a teenager…."

"This is bullshit!" Keisuke said, slamming his fist on the desk. "Real people could be in danger here…."

The officer narrowed his eyes. "Watch the attitude, kid, or I'll have you thrown in jail for the day…."

Keisuke opened his mouth to snap at the officer again, but was stopped by Ryosuke's hand on his upper arm.

"I'm sorry officer. You'll have to excuse my brother, he loves to play detective…."

"What!?" Keisuke shouted, shocked his brother was so quick to patronize him like this.

"Yeah, well I think it's best if you take him home." The officer said dryly, and Ryosuke nodded, quickly dragging his agitated brother from the station.

"Aniki, what the hell-"

Ryosuke cut off his brother's angry exclamation with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I had to patronize you like that, Keisuke, but saying it out loud, that detective was right- our plan is nothing more than a hunch."

"But it has to be true- Aniki, you _know_ the only one capable of driving like that would be Fujiwara and Kogashiwa!" Keisuke protested.

"While I agree it's very likely to be the case, right now we have no evidence to confirm our theory. Just a hunch. Until we have evidence to support our claim, we'll just look like a bunch of amateur detectives with too much time on their hands."

Keisuke sighed, kicking the pavement despondently. "Alright. So what do we do?"

"Analyze data to support our theory." Ryosuke said calmly.

Keisuke nodded, before he perked up, "Should we contact Fujiwara-san? I mean, Takumi is his son, after all…."

Ryosuke shook his head. "I doubt that would be a good idea. There's no reason to make the man worry that is son might be being held by a gang- besides, we don't have enough evidence to substantiate anything yet. Best not to borrow trouble."

Keisuke nodded. "Right."

"And while we don't have evidence, there's nothing saying we can't contact the police tipline with our hunch." Ryosuke said smoothly.

Keisuke grinned. "That's what I like to hear, bro. Taking action."

* * *

There was something satisfying in the way his knuckles clicked when he drove his fist into someone's nose.

That was all that was running through Takumi's mind is he stood in a ragged stance, good fist up, and the fist on the side of his wounded shoulder trailing sluggishly behind.

He'd lost track of whether or not the blood on his knuckles belonged to him or his opponent- all around him, the crowd roared and jeered.

Something had ignited in Takumi's chest- maybe it was the fact he was trying to shield his wounded shoulder, or perhaps the rage that'd been mounting in his since the day he'd been captured.

People were shouting and screaming above the din, but all Takumi could register was how slick his skin was from sweat, and how much he wanted to go to bed tonight without any new bruises.

Takumi ducked a right hook from his opponent, missing his first swing before he was driving his elbow into his opponent's face….

The man wobbled and fell to his knees, blood dripping steadily from between his fingers, his nose a crimson faucet.

Saiko-komon stepped forward to break up the pair, looking slightly surprised at the outcome, and Takumi simply stood, chest heaving, in the familiar dim light of the single lightbulb in the garage.

"Who knew you had it in you, kid." Kumicho said with a grin.

His praise only agitated Takumi more, and he was tossed his shirt, which he eagerly pulled on.

He didn't know how he'd gotten roped into this- something about a proper gangster being able to fight. And with that, he and Kai had been thrown into the lion's den in some sort of gladiator fight, fighting while others cheered and jeered.

Kai himself was nursing a split lip and swelling eye, and he stumbled to his feet and clapped Takumi on the back shakily. "Way to hold your own, kid."

Takumi simply nodded- the gangster were dispersing, now, the spectacle for the night- his and Kai's 'lesson' in fighting over for the night. All that remained in the garage were empty beer cans and cigarette butts, and both boys sloughed upstairs and fell into bed, into a restless, pained sleep.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	11. Stroke of Luck

**Alright. Sorry it took me so long to update- I've been really busy with nursing school. Please let me know if you want me to continue writing! :)**

* * *

Bunta Fujiwara stared up at the ceiling, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and exhaling a breath of smoke. He watched it fade away lazily, turning to look over at the alarm clock to his left.

in a few minutes, he'd have to get up and do the tofu delivery. He still couldn't quell the ache in his chest- it'd dulled, but it was still excruciating. The shop seemed empty- he hadn't realized how quiet it was, how silent it was without the purr of the 86 going in and out on a daily basis, or the sound of his son stumbling around upstairs in the morning...

 _Wherever you are- you'd better get home soon, kid._ Bunta thought, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, careful not to disturb the covers of Takumi's bed, which he'd been laying on. The room hadn't been touched since his son left. The bed was still sloppily made up, a wrinkled t-shirt still on the floor...

Bunta found himself coming into the room more often- when the silence of the house would get to him, he'd walk around, running his fingers over the dresser or the headboard, thinking about what his life had been like when the room was still occupied.

Somedays, though, he kept the door shut and started drinking earlier in the morning, right after the deliveries, so he could do his best to forget. Yuuichi came by sometimes, to have a smoke, and a few old friends stopped by. But the house was still empty, and Bunta was still hollow.

Still, the man trudged down the stairs, filling the cup with water and slogging over to the 86. The car was in impeccable condition- he'd changed the oil and washed the car several times since Takumi had gone missing, nearly five days ago. It was probably stupid, but some part of his mind wanted the car to be in good condition for when his son came home.

He turned the key in the ignition and started his daily trek up the hill. Life went on for Bunta Fujiwara, one hollow breath at a time.

* * *

"Tak, hey-" Kai spoke quietly, and Takumi grunted, eyes fluttering open.

"Brought you this." Kai said simply, handing him a rice ball.

"Huh- thanks." Takumi sat up slowly, careful to avoid aggravating his sore body and bad shoulder, fumbling to munch on the rice ball with his left hand.

"No problem." Kai sat down gingerly on his own bed, stifling a wince successfully and munching on a roll he'd grabbed for himself.

"Something's going to go down. I saw a newspaper today- the police commissioner of Kananzawa vowed to do something about the string of bank robberies. I saw it in the paper. Everyone seemed pretty subdued today."

Takumi scrubbed at his eyes, blinking. Whatever that meant, it didn't sound like they were in for anything good.

"They've nearly fixed the GTR, too." Kai said calmly.

"Great." Takumi muttered sarcastically, finishing off his rice ball and staring into space for a moment. He had a bad feeling about this.

That afternoon, as they sat and chatted idly, the door of the room was thrown open, a rather intense looking Saiko-komon standing in the door way. "Both of you- with me."

Kai uncertainly got to his feet with Takumi following, as they followed the brisk-walking, dark haired man.

Once they'd reached the garage, they were surprised to see a black four-door civic before them...

Takumi was shoved forward a moment later by an antsy looking Saiko-komon. "You. You're driving."

Before Takumi could mutter any protest, Saiko-komon was in the car, and Takumi pursed his lips and got in the driver's seat to spare himself the consequences.

Kai was dragged into the back seat by a man with a red bandanna tied around his wrist- Kai recognized him as one of the gangsters he'd been fighting last night.

"Drive." was all Saiko-komon said curtly.

Takumi nodded, listening to each instruction carefully and turning.

The atmosphere in the car was tense and oppressive- dangerous, almost.

Kai swallowed- he found himself confused and a little more than apprehensive, especially when he saw the black pistol laying in Saiko-komon's lap.

Were they planning on disposing of him and Takumi?

Saiko-komon spit out another clipped direction, and they turned, stopping by the sidewalk just outside a high school...

A single girl in a sailor's uniform was walking down the street, phone in hand.

"Stop the car." Saiko-komon threw his arm across the seat, and Takumi slammed on the breaks.

The gangster in the back seat threw the door of the car open.

The girl, hearing the car slam on the breaks, looked up, mocha brown eyes wide like a doe's in surprise...

Her expression morphed from one of surprise to terror as the man threw a black cloth bag over her head, muffling the screaming as he grabbed the girl and dragging her, kicking and screaming, towards the civic.

He threw her fighting form into the civic, and the girl's head landed in Kai's lap as she kicked and screamed for help.

The gangster was jumping in a moment later, slamming the door behind him.

"Hold her down!" the gangster barked at Kai, looking unamused by the girl's attempts to struggle.

"What? I don't want to..." Kai looked down at the girl, who's stopped screaming but was still lashing out blindly.

"Do as he says." Saiko-komon's solid voice echoed from the back seat as he cocked his gun, placing it against Takumi's temple. "Or he gets it."

Kai inhaled sharply, looking down at the girl sadly. Her struggles had died down, though she still kicked out blindly at the gangster who was grabbing at her legs...

Kai swallowed, before he was holding the girl's wrists together.

Saiko-komon hadn't lowered his gun. "And you." he said to Takumi severely, his uncertainty showing in the way his voice shook. "Had best drive like your life depends upon it."

Takumi re-opened the bullet wound in his shoulder on the way back to the house, driving at a pace that would've been suicidal, had he not been Takumi.

The girl's struggles in the back had died down- her hands and feet had been tied, and all that could be heard was muffled sobbing.

Everything felt _wrong-_ this whole thing was a perverted mess, but it was a runaway train, now, and for Kai, Takumi, and now the girl- there was no safe way to get off.

As they pulled back into the garage and the girl was being pulled from the car, Takumi turned to look at Saiko-komon, eyes wide. "Why are you doing this?" he asked shakily.

"She's important." Saiko-komon snapped, before he was leaving the car and nodding to the others. "Tie her and tell Kumicho it's done." he said, turning to look away.

A loud whimper came from the girl as she was forced to the cement, her skirt pooling at her knees, head still covered, bound hands tied to the solid leg of the workbench.

"You disgusting pervert." Kai muttered.

Saiko-komon whirled, backhanding Kai. "It's not like that, you sick fuck! it was an order, direct from Kumicho! The police commissioner of Kanazawa took notice of our activities. Holding his daughter should strike a significant blow in his willingness to chance after us. Nothing perverted is going to happen to her!"

"She's chained to the wall in a house full of men." Takumi stated duly, looking at Saiko-komon with an expression saying he didn't believe a word the man was saying.

Saiko-komon threw up his hands, frustrated. "Get your asses back to your room." was all he growled, though he looked significantly troubled.

As the door to their room shut behind them, Kai flopped down on his bed, putting his face in his hands. "This is too much. I can risk being a get away driver for them, but letting them keep a girl like that..."

Takumi simply nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed and touching the blood stain on his t-shirt, frown deepening.

"I mean, us, yes, but she's so young..."

"I'm going to let her out tonight."

"You what!?" Kai spoke, sounding shocked.

Takumi shrugged, wincing slightly as the move tugged his wounded shoulder. "She doesn't belong here. So I figured I'll untie her and help her out the window. She's the police commissioner's daughter, people will be looking for her, so if she can make it to the road, she's bound to be able to find help..."

Kai blinked. "That's... a pretty good idea."

Takumi nodded. "I thought so too. You don;t have to help out, though. If I'm caught..." Takumi fell silent, remembering the last time they'd defied the gang in trying to escape.

Kai shook his head. "No, I'm with you. You'll need a lookout. And besides- I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't help her. She's about my sister's age." Kai admitted.

Takumi nodded. "So it's a plan, then."

"It's a plan."

* * *

That night, they stole down to the garage.

Takumi peered in the doorway, noticing the girl was under guard. A rlugh looking man was standing beside her slumped form, laughing slightly. "C'mon, darling, just a lick..."

The man's pants were unzipped, and even though the black cloth bag was still over the girl's head, she turned away, whimpering slightly...

Before Takumi could stop him, Kai had darted forward, snatching a wrench from the work bench and slammed it into the man;s temple- the man fell to the floor, still exposed.

Kai stood, breathing heavily. "Fucking pervert..." he hissed.

Takumi hurriedly moved past him, pulling the cloth bag off the girl;s head to reveal long blonde hair and alarmed mocha eyes.

She looked from Takumi to Kai, still looking rather afraid... Takumi covered her mouth with his hand, and his eyes widened.

"We're trying to help you, alright? You have to trust us for a minute. Can you do that?" Takumi looked into her eyes seriously.

The girl paused for a moment, taking in Takumi's serious expression, before she nodded, and Takumi removed his hand from her mouth, dropping to his knees and beginning to fumble with the ropes tying her hands.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." Kai spoke up, running a hand through his hair and walking over to sit beside the girl. "And I'm even more sorry we had to help. They forced us to, they've been making us do all sorts of shit for them..." Kai frowned, realizing he was rambling on. "I didn't get your name."

"M-Miyumi." the girl spoke up quietly.

Kai nodded, smiling. _She looks about as old as Hiriko._ he thought, remembering his little sister. _She can't be more than 14 years old._

"We can get you out of here, but we can't leave." Takumi spoke up. "You'll have to get to the road by yourself. From there, you should be able to flag down a car for help... Do you think you can do that?"

Miyumi nodded. "Y-yes. I think so."

"Hmm." Takumi nodded approvingly, finishing untying the rope on her wrists and moving to the ones on her legs.

Kai frowned, looking for something sharp to cut the bindings.

"W-why are you helping me?" Miyumi asked quietly, lowering her eyes.

"We don't like these guys anymore than you do, Miyumi." Takumi murmered quietly.

"Who are you?"

"Kogashiwa. I'm Kogashiwa Kai. And this is Fujiwara Takumi. But forget about that- right now we have to get you out of here."

Takumi finished untying the last few knots and helped Miyumi to her feet, nodding to her. "Let's go."

The three stole through the hallways, finding a window and throwing it open.

After giving her brief directions as to the road, Miyumi had disappeared into the night.

Takumi closed the window hurriedly, turning and running upstairs.

Hopefully, when the gangster they's knocked out woke up, he wouldn't remember being knocked out. If they played their cards right, they could avoid punishment.

* * *

Miyumi stole through the night, running frantically for the road. Her knees were scraped, her face bruised, but she hadn't lost her virtue, which was something. Her breath came in short pants- her feet bled, stones and sticks assaulting her as she did so. She was running along the road, now, desperate to put as much distance between her and the hated house as possible.

She might be missed soon, and who knew if they'd chase after her. She's already been lucky once- she couldn't trust fate to help her again.

She tripped, toes scraping on the pavement, and fell to her knees on the road. She was left gasping for a brief moment, and for a second she was blinded by headlights and squealing brakes...

A moment later a car door was slamming. She found herself looking into the wide eyes of a woman who would turn into her savior.

* * *

The door of the room slammed open in the middle of the night. Unintelligible shouting was all that could be heard for a moment, as both teens were dragged from bed hurriedly, pushed and dragged down the stairs and dragged into the garage.

"You had something to do with this!" Saiko-komon shouted, voice borderline cracking.

A rather dazed thug sat in the corner, his temple bruised.

"Kill the bastards!"

"We can still find her if we hurry..."

"...police will be here soon..."

""...bail while we still have time..."

"QUIET!"

All at once, the garage was silent.

Takumi and Kai looked up from where they knelt on the cement floor, both slightly cowed at the expression on Kumicho's face.

"We've been doing well these past few days thanks to the efforts of these two." he said calmly. "However, they;ve clearly failed to fall in line. We've given them every opportunity to join our little family, and yet they continue to rebel."

"This is the end of one chapter, and the beginning of another. It ends with fear- with abandoning the place we;ve come to know as home. But it begins a new era- a new prefecture, a new operation. Unfortunately, however- some will have to be left behind. The police will be here soon- so let them find the bodies of two insubordinate teenagers." Kumicho looked down at Kai and Takumi coldly, with thinly veiled disgust. He was met with cheers and shouts.

Kumicho looked away from the boys. "Do what you want with them."

The mob of retribution seekers closed in on them, everything snapping shut in a moment like a snare.

Nose bloodied, head slammed into the cement, a bottle smashed over his side- the blows rained down, over and over, feet sinking into his chest in kicks and blows and pain flaring.

Every new flair of pain was like a fire burst, a match struck for a second, only to burn out. And he was quickly running out of consciousness. The beating could've lasted hours or minutes. He;d hear Kai shouting over the noise of the crowd at one point, but now, he was simply clinging to the thread of consciousness with all he had.

Eventually, he simply laid in the ground, copper in his mouth, vision blurry, each breath of air burning. At some point, the shouting grew even louder. Over the mob mentality and screaming, shouts for more bloodshed, were voices.

"...police!"

"Hands where I can see them!"

"...on the ground!"

The swinging light bulb illuminated the gun barrels as mass panic descended. Bodies slammed against the cement,m people being cuffed, Takumi let his eyes fall closed and let out a breath, coughing somewhere between and tasting blood.

He was pretty sure someone was shaking him. "...over here! He's bleeding... Kid, hey kid! Stay awake!"

His entire body was numb. That was all he could really hear over the ringing of his own ears. The police were here.

 _Finally. It's over._ was his last thought before he descended into oblivion.


	12. Reunion

**Sorry I've been silent for a while, guys. Things have been really rough with nursing school, and a bit of struggle with anxiety/depression. Anyways, here's the next chapter! :)**

* * *

The phone rang at 1:17 in the morning. To any normal person, it would've been an unreasonably early hour. But for Bunta Fujiwara, it was only an hour or so before he started to make tofu.

He snatched the phone off the hook with all the speed he could muster, having just woken up, as he scrubbed at his eye with the other free hand.

"Hello?" he spoke, voice gravelly.

 _"Fujiwara-san. I apologize for calling so early in the morning..."_

Bunta's eyes widened, as he recognized the voice of police lieutenant Tomo on the other end of the phone.

"Takumi?" he asked, heart jumping to his throat.

 _"Your son is in a hospital in Kananzawa..."_

Bunta left the phone hanging off the hook.

 _"Fujiwara-san?"_ the lieutenant's voice crackled over the receiver, as outside, the sound of an engine springing to life shattered the silence of the night.

* * *

It took any normal person four hours to reach Kananzawa from Gunma. It took Bunta Fujiwara two, only stopping once off the expressway to contact the lieutenant as to the name of the hospital his son was in.

He was stopped by a nurse as he jogged down the hallway. "Sir? Can I help you?"

He must've looked like a mess- unshaven, in a wrinkled grey T-shirt he'd been sleeping in and some jeans he'd pulled on in a rush, as well as sneakers.

But he couldn't really bring himself to care- not when he didn't know what state his son was in.

"I'm looking for my son- Takumi Fujiwara."

The nurse's face went serious for a moment, lips pursing, before she nodded, turning and walking briskly. "Right this way please."

"Is he alright?" Bunta asked, brows creasing.

"He's stable, but he's had some injuries." the nurse said, tone clipped. She turned sharply, opening the door to a quiet room and nodding to Bunta.

"He's in there. Don't try to wake him- he's been sedated. Call a nurse if anything changes."

And with that, she turned on heel and was gone.

Bunta hesitated only for a moment before he was stepping into the dim room.

Takumi was sprawled on the bed, shirtless. White sheets covered up tot he boy's waist- a gauze pad that was stained red was wrapped on the boy's lower left side, bandages wrapping about him to hold it in place.

Another dressing was wrapped around the boy's shoulder, though his one sported less blood.

There were cigarette burns on his boy's side, and Bunta found his fists clenching involuntarily at the sight.

In addition to the major injuries, his son's lip was split and swollen, one eye slightly puffy. His arms were sporting healing scratches, and exposed skin was littered with yellowing bruises...

As soon as the rage had reached Bunta's mind, his fists relaxed, and he heaved a sigh, dragging a chair over to the boy's bedside and sitting down heavily. His anger wouldn't do a thing to help his boy now. There would be a time for retribution, but now wasn't it.

Now, he was just appreciating the fact he had his boy back.

He sighed, reaching up and brushing the boy's shaggy bangs from his face, cringing involuntarily as Takumi twitched in his sleep.

"Get some sleep, kid." he spoke quietly. "I'll be here when you get up."

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was the smell. It was no longer the stale smell of spilled beer or spent cigarettes- instead, it was rather sterile, with a hint of mint somewhere in all the confusion...

He blinked, blinded for a moment by the fluorescent lights about him.

He grunted involuntarily, recoiling slightly.

"So- you're finally up."

Takumi's head snapped to the side, eyes wide at his father's voice.

"D-Dad?" he asked hesitantly, shifting position slightly, as though he wasn't sure whether to move away or not.

"Yeah?" Bunta asked, arms crossed from where he sat beside his bed.

Bunta's word seemed to have broken the spell, and in a rare display of impulsiveness, Takumi jolted forward, throwing his arms around Bunta.

Bunta stiffened for a moment, surprised- Takumi hadn't hugged him since he was a child. Bunta wasn't exactly the touchy-feely type...

But he relaxed for a brief moment, before Takumi was hurriedly pulling back, eyeing the floor like it was something interesting with suspiciously glassy eyes, as though he realized what he'd just done.

"S-sorry... I..."

Before he could stutter onward, Bunta reached up and ruffled his hair, smiling slightly. "It's alright. In missed you too, kid."

Takumi blinked for a moment, shocked, before he nodded, smiling slightly, before he was laying back on the bed.

Bunta's eyes lingered on the bandages wrapped around the boy's shoulder and abdomen.

"They shot you."

"Yeah." Takumi picked at a thread on the sheets, not meeting his father's eyes.

"What else did they do to you?"

Takumi winced slightly. "Just... bruises, mostly..." he said. He didn't want to think about it.

"Honestly- I'm just glad I'm out of there. I still can't believe it, really. I keep expecting to wake up with a gun in my face..."

Bunta blinked, surprised.

Still, Takumi didn't seem at all alarmed by the statement, and he looked over at his Dad calmly. "Where are we? I mean, I know we're in a hospital, but... where?"

"Ishikawa, I think..." _Hell, I really didn't read many of the road signs. I was just focused on trying to get to you._

"Ah." Takumi nodded, looking a bit disappointed.

"Something wrong?" Bunta asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Ah, it's nothing..." Takumi said, looking slightly sheepish. "I was just... I'm looking forward to going home, is all." _I missed the shop, and my friends. I missed the 86._

"Yeah." _The shop was damn empty without you._

Takumi adjusted his position on the bed, gritting his teeth slightly but otherwise showing no indication of pain.

"You need anything?" Bunta asked, brows furrowing slightly.

"No-" Takumi stopped cold for a moment, looking over at his Dad quietly. "Did you drive the 86 here?" he asked, a familiar spark showing in his eyes.

" _-Che-"_ Bunta scoffed slightly, though he smiled. Of course that would be what the kid asked about. "Yeah, I drove the 86 here."

Takumi grinned slightly, closing his eyes for a long moment as he laid back against the pillows.

Still, Takumi blinked owlishly, craning his neck towards the window. "Where did you park...?"

"Don't worry about it." Bunta scolded, though his tone held no bite. "Get some sleep."

Within ten minutes, Takumi was asleep, and Bunta felt a familiar warmth in his chest and grinned slightly at the floor tiles. He'd thought he'd lost that feeling forever- it was so sweet to find it again.


End file.
